The christmas party
by AmberlinaBlue
Summary: It's the christmas party and Sara doesn't have a date. Grissom has asked. Will she say yes? What happens when Sara makes a decision that affects her life forever? How will Nick cope?
1. Chapter 1

"Nick! I've told you before! I'm not going!" Sara walked out of the room and sighed. The CSIs were having their usual Christmas get together, except this year they had all decided to take someone with them. Being the only one in the group without a plus one was embarrassing enough for her but to have the rest of them know about it was out of the question. She had made an excuse about how she was busy on that particular day and deep down she knew no one had bought it.

"Hey, Nick?" Catherine looked up at him in the middle of eating a tuna sandwich. She could see that his eyes were still glued to the door in which Sara had departed; probably deep in thought. When he didn't reply, she put her sandwich down and leant back in her chair, folding her arms, "Nick!" She laughed when he jumped slightly, "Go after her."

Despite how bad he wanted to see if she was okay, he shook his head and turned to face her, "Cath, we all know she doesn't have anyone to go with. I'm not going to _make_ her go. She doesn't want to."

"I know she doesn't, Nicky," He looked at her as if she'd just said something stupid.

"Then why are you saying I should I go after her?"

Catherine rolled her eyes, "Because _you_ want her to go."

Nick tilted his head to the side, confused. "C'mon Nicky, don't give me that look. I've seen the way you look at her." Nick had opened his mouth to protest but Catherine raised her hand to stop him from speaking, "Don't even try to deny it. The only reason you're taking Blondie is because you don't have the guts to ask Sara."

Nick sighed and stood up, "Shift has started. I gotta go." Before Catherine could call him back, he left. She sighed as well and looked up at the clock above the door. Since Nick was telling the truth, she too walked out in search for Grissom and the next case.

The night definitely wasn't over yet.


	2. Chapter 2

"Yeah, I know. I'll send someone right over," Grissom clicked off his phone and looked up to find Catherine standing there.

"Ah," He said, "Just the right person for the job." It was never a good sign when you were known as 'the right person for the job.'

"What job?"

Grissom looked up at her as if she was supposed to know what he was talking about, "DB on South River Avenue."

Catherine stood there without saying a word, expecting him to continue. When he didn't, she raised one manicured eyebrow at him, "And that makes it my job _how_, exactly?"

"The woman is eighty-six and the only suspect we have is a sixteen year-old girl."

She smiled, "Right. And since you have communication issues, Sara and Nicky have disappeared and Warrick is on another case with Greg, you want me, as a Mother of a sixteen year-old girl, to question her because _you_ think I'm good for the job?"

Grissom looked at her and spoke as if she hadn't said a word, "She works as an exotic dancer."

Catherine scoffed, shaking her head, "Some girl is a stripper and an _ex_-stripper gets the job, huh?" Seeing Grissom's expression, she sighed, "I'm sorry. I'll take it." She took the slip with the case written on out of his hand and turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Grissom called. When she turned he said, "You said Nick and Sara disappeared. I thought they were having lunch with you."

Catherine laughed and waited for Hodges to pass before she spoke. The last thing she wanted was for this to go around the lab, "Yeah, we were. At least that was until we got talking about the Christmas dinner and Nick started to tell Sara that she should go."

"Who was she going with?"

"Y'know sometimes, you can be so stupid." Grissom looked at her, taken aback by her words. She smiled, "She's not going because she has no one to go with."

He nodded, "I see. And you?"

"Me, what?"

"Who are _you_ going with?"

Catherine shrugged, "I haven't decided yet. I've had a few offers from people who want to go to the dinner but can't because they're not CSIs." She looked at him, smiling, "I'm open to more offers."

Grissom looked back at her but she burst out laughing, "Gil, I'm kidding. I don't think I'll take anyone."

"If you don't take anyone, maybe that will persuade Sara to go."

She nodded, "Yeah, maybe." Holding up the slip of paper as if she'd only just found it, she said, "Anyway, I've got a case to solve. I'll catch you later."

Catherine walked out of the lab to her car, taking a quick glance at the paper on the way just to make sure she had the right address. Sure enough, she did. Pulling out of the parking lot, she made her way to the scene.


	3. Chapter 3

It was two days until the big Christmas dinner and Sara had been asked by Ecklie to work overtime on that night. Since she wasn't planning on going and she was married to her career, she had said yes. Admittedly, saying yes to Ecklie of all people was difficult, but what else was there to do? She had no real friends in town (except the ones from the lab) and no boyfriend. She decided she would spend the day doing something that she loved, even if it meant being alone.

After her conversation...well, argument with Nick, Sara had decided that she would try to catch up on her sleep. What little she got of it, anyway. Finally dozing off on the sofa after four hours of trying, she was awoken by footsteps. _Approaching footsteps_. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder and she bolted upright, pulling her gun out from under the cushion she was resting her head on. She immediately stood up, pointing it at the shadow in front of her.

The person held their hands up before she could say anything, "Woah! Sara, Sara! It's me!" She could recognize that Texan twang anywhere.

"_Nick_!" She said in a loud whisper, feeling around for the lamp and lowering the gun, "What the hell are you doing here? How did you get in?"

He laughed softly and held up a small key, "I used _this_."

Sara just stared at his silhouette in the darkness until she located the lamp switch. Switching it on, she saw that he was holding a key and the object just ticked her off even more, "Nick, that's for emergencies."

"Well, I thought it _was_ an emergency. I've been knocking for fifteen minutes and no one answered," he looked at her and sighed, "I was worried." They stood there looking at each other for a short while until Nick's eyes travelled to the gun she was still holding, "You uh...You sleep with your gun?"

She sighed and sat down, placing the gun on the coffee table in front of her, "Why are you here, Nick?"

He opened his mouth to speak but he truly had no answer to her question._ Why _am_ I here?_ He sighed and sat next to her, "I'm sorry for what happened earlier."

"Let's just not talk about it. I'm tired"

"You? Tired?" He laughed but it wasn't full of humor, "Sar, you _never_ sleep." She stood up then turned to face him, pointing to the door, "Just leave, Nick."

He blinked, "What?"

"You heard me," she looked at him, "leave."

"What the hell is wrong with you lately?"

"Nothing, Nick. I'll see you later."

Nick stood up, less than a foot away from her. At this point, Sara took a step back. The motion, even though small, hurt Nick inside. Knowing something was wrong with her, so wrong that she couldn't be near him, killed him. This wasn't just anyone. It was Sara.

"Nick, I-"

"Sar-" They both spoke simultaneously. Ever the gentleman, Nick nodded for Sara to go ahead and speak but the words just disappeared from her mouth. When he looked at her he saw that she had tears in her eyes. It worried him, "Sara…" he took a step closer again, and as before, she took another back, "What have I done?"

Sara shook her head, fighting tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes, "Nick, I...I can't. Please," she looked at the floor, "please just go." She walked over to the door, turning to look at him.

He shook his head, "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong. You're scaring me." Yet again, he walked over to where she was standing and she attempted to step back, not realizing there was a wall behind her. With a thud, she hit her back against it and looked up at him, his face half hidden with the lack of light in the apartment.

A tear rolled down her cheek, "_Please_," she begged, "leave."

The silence in the room was too loud for Sara's liking and they were both looking at each other, each of them wondering what the other was thinking. Sara swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling vulnerable under Nick's gaze. The moment was lost when Nick's phone started ringing. He didn't answer it, though, he was too focused on the woman in front of him.

"You should get that…"

Nick sighed and answered his phone, "Hello?" He kept his eyes on Sara as he heard Grissom's voice on the other end of the phone, "Hey, Griss…yeah, I'm with her now." Sara looked at Nick, begging him with her eyes to just leave and keep her out of the conversation. She saw Nick frown at something Grissom must have said, "Yeah, I'll ask her. Don't expect a 'yes', though." At this point, Nick didn't look at Sara, "I'll see you later, then...alright, bye." He clicked off his phone and walked to the door without saying a word. Sara moved out of the way wondering what the hell had just happened.

"Nick, what did Grissom want to ask me?" Nick stopped immediately but didn't turn to face her.

"Nothing. I gotta go." She watched him walk away and close the door before she could ask about it. Sighing, she walked into her room and closed the door. Maybe sleep would help.


	4. Chapter 4

Nick still couldn't work out what had happened back at Sara's apartment. He couldn't help but constantly check his phone for text message or a missed call from her. No luck. The sun was beginning to rise and a new day for the CSIs was about to start. Walking through the doors to the building full of the various labs, Nick rounded the corner into the break room, almost bumping into a chair along the way.

"Hey, man. Where did you get to last night?" Nick looked up from his cell phone to find Warrick sitting at the table doing a crossword. Nick avoided the question.

"Hey. You realize Grissom is going to kill you for doing that, right?" He gestured to the paper in front of him.

Warrick laughed, "Yeah, good point. He's gonna be even more pissed when he sees that I can't even finish the goddamn thing!"

It was Nick's turn to laugh as he sat down opposite Warrick, "Wow. Warrick Brown; the guy who can count cards but can't finish a crossword." Warrick threw him a look and put the pen down. Nick knew that look and assumed he was about to be interrogated by him.

Warrick broke the silence after looking at the clock, "She's late. Wow."

"Who?" Of course, Nick knew who he was talking about.

"Don't play dumb with me, Man. Sara is _never_ late and she's _always_ early. I heard about that argument you guys had and I know she went home about twenty minutes before you did and you being you would go after her because she's Sara and-"

"Dude, take a breath!"

Warrick sighed, "I know you, Nick. You went after her and something must have happened because she's not here. Catherine has the day off and even Grissom can't get in touch with her yet. As for Greg...well, he's Greg." He smiled and looked directly at Nick, "What happened?"

Sighing, Nick knew he wouldn't stop asking him unless he got an answer, "I have no clue. I went to her place to say sorry for what happened here last night and she wouldn't answer the door. She had given me a spare key for emergencies so I used that." When Warrick threw him another one of his looks he rolled his eyes, "What was I supposed to do? I was worried." Warrick nodded. "Anyway, she was laying on the sofa asleep but she must be a light sleeper because she heard me walk towards her. Next thing I know, she's got her gun pointing at me. Then-"

"Wait, what? She sleeps with her gun?"

Nick nodded, "Yeah. It was under one of the cushions she was laying on."

Warrick raised an eyebrow, "Damn…"

The look on Nick's face changed from being expressionless to full of sadness. "'Rick, I have no clue why she feels the need to do so, but she _sleeps with a gun_. After I woke her up, I threw her a line about not sleeping and she told me to leave. That's not even the worst part, though." Warrick wondered how it could possibly get worse for Nick but nevertheless, he let him carry on, "She burst into tears and kept begging me to leave."

"Why?" Warrick questioned him.

"I don't know. I just…" Nick threw his hands up at a loss for words, "I just don't know."

The two of them sat there in silence. All that could be heard in the small room was the ticking of the clock above the door. Warrick wasn't sure what to say to make him feel better or even if anything he might say _would_ make him feel better. Both of them jumped when they heard the door swing open and hit the wall behind it. Turning to the door they saw Sara burst into the room.

"_WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?_"

Nick stood and faced Sara, "What do you mean?"

She looked from Warrick to him, "Why the hell didn't you tell me that Grissom had asked me to the christmas dinner?" Warrick raised an eyebrow, while Nick decided to play dumb.

"Sara, I don't know what you're talking about," He swallowed. Even he knew it was obvious he was lying.

Sara scoffed, "You're _so_ unbelievable! Are you _that_ lonely that you can't stand to see me happy for one night?"

At this point, Nick felt a pang of jealousy hit him when she admitted that she would be happy to be with Grissom on that night. Before he could stop himself, he spoke.

"Oh! That's right," Nick laughed, "I forgot. You're _in love_ with him." Sara frowned and Warrick knew this was going to get ugly. One of them would say something they'd regret.

Warrick stood, "Guys, you need to calm do-"

"Don't pretend you're not! I didn't tell you he asked because I hated the fact that you would be used that night!" Sara was taken aback by his words and she truly was confused by them. "He doesn't want you as his date, Sara! Don't you get it? He feels _sorry_ for you!" The usually calm, unemotional brunette took a small step back like Nick had just slapped her in the face. A tear threatened to roll down her cheek as she stared at him, not believing the oh so charming Texan could say such a thing.

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Instead, she turned and ran into the Ladies' shower room in which she emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

Warrick turned to look at Nick, "Don't, Warrick. I'm goin' home."

The taller, blue-eyed man stood in his way and put his hands out, "Nicky, you're not going anywhere. Why didn't you tell her, man?"

Nick sighed and looked at the floor, "I thought it would have been a date at first. I didn't want to see her with him, Warrick! She doesn't belong with him!"

Warrick raised an eyebrow and decided to chance his luck, "Who should she be with then?"

Nick looked up at him and after a few seconds, he answered, "_Me_. Dammit, Warrick! She should be with me!" He said it as though he was just realizing it for the first time. He looked at Warrick to see him smiling.

"You gonna go after her?" Warrick asked.

Nick shook his head, "No, Grissom'll have my ass if I leave another shift. Will you try to find her? Just to make sure she's okay?"

Warrick nodded, "Okay then, I'll try."

"Thanks, Man. I owe you."

Warrick laughed as he was walking out of the door and threw Nick his usual reply to that; "Don't think I won't collect!"


	5. Chapter 5

Walking out of the break room and down the hall to where Hodges worked, Warrick tried to slip past without being seen by him. Being spotted by Hodges would mean that he would never get to find Sara because it was obvious that Hodges would keep him talking for ages. Avoiding eye contact with him, he walked a bit faster.

"Warrick!" _Dammit!_ Warrick turned to find Hodges standing behind him.

"Oh. Hey Hodges," he gave him a friendly smile, though it was obvious he was agitated already.

"My guess is you're looking for Sara. What happened exactly?"

Warrick raised his eyebrow at him, "Look, I don't have time for this. If you're expecting me to tell you what happened between Nick and Sara then you're wrong. I just wanna know where she is."

"Ah!" Hodges smiled, "So something _did_ happen between them!"

At this point, Warrick was getting annoyed quicker than usual, "Can you tell me where she is or not, Hodges?"

"She's in the Ladies' bathroom, I think," Hodges sighed, "I always get left out with the CSIs."

Warrick looked at him, "Maybe that's because you're not a CSI."

He turned and left Hodges standing there still in shock about his last words to him. Warrick couldn't help but feel slightly guilty but he had other matters to attend to. He needed to find Sara. Finally nearing the bathroom, he tried to figure out what he was going to say to Sara if he found her. He tapped on the door twice before entering. Usually, Warrick would have never entered because he obviously wasn't a woman and this was _their_ bathroom; not the men's. He scanned the room and saw Sara's khaki jacket on the bench. It was clear that there was no one else in the bathroom and he knew he may as well bite the bullet and call out for her.

"Sara?" Warrick was rewarded with nothing but silence. However, he noticed that there was two cubicle doors that were closed. Walking over to the one on the far right, he slowly pushed the door open. No one. Sighing, he moved to the cubicle left of the previous one and done the same. The door didn't open though. Something was stopping it from inside.

"W-Warrick, please. Leave me alone," Warrick stood directly outside the door but took his hand away from it. If Sara was crying, you knew things were bad.

"Sara, I just wanna talk to you. No one else is here, it's just me. I promise,"

Reluctantly, Sara pulled the door open. Warrick held in a gasp as he saw her sitting on the toilet seat lid. It wasn't the usual Sara that everyone saw. She looked tired, pale and drained from where she had obviously been crying. Warrick didn't mention it, though. Instead, "Sara, are you okay?"

She sniffed and nodded, "I'm _fine_." She gave him one of her best smiles. Warrick wasn't fooled, though. He knew Sara well enough to know that most of the smiles she gave to people were fake.

Sighing, Warrick closed the door behind him and sat against the door at Sara's feet, "Sara, I can't leave until you tell me what's wr-"

"Is that how everyone here sees me?"

Warrick looked up at her, "What?"

"Y'know...desperate…" She mumbled the last part. It was clear that Nick's words were playing in her mind and had been since she entered the bathroom. She looked down at Warrick waiting for his reply.

"Sara, what Nick said was out of line. He didn't mean it, though. You know deep down he didn't."

Sara nodded, "Is that why _you're_ here instead of him?"

Warrick ignored her, "Sara, what's happened?"

She smiled, this time it was a real smile, "You never quit, do you, Warrick Brown?"

He laughed, "Not for pretty things like you." They laughed together and he suddenly realized just how nice it was to hear her laugh. "Besides, I'm sitting in front of you on the floor while you're on the toilet. Granted you're fully clothed but give me _some_ credit. I don't do this for everyone, y'know." She smiled at that. The humor soon went, though and her smile was gone.

"I'm pregnant, Warrick."

He tried to hide how shocked he was and attempted to stay calm, "Who's the...uh…"

"The Father?" Warrick nodded and Sara sniffed, "It's Hank."

Warrick's eyes went wide. Sara and Hank broke up nearly a year ago, it made no sense. Without a word, he stood holding his hand out for Sara to take. "Come on, I'll take you home and we can talk about this. If not, we can just grab a bite to eat," he smiled, "you're eating for two; use the excuse." She smiled and took his hand as she stood up. Walking out of the cubicle both of them looked up to find Nick standing there with sadness in his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I know how this chapter is gonna go down with the blonde women of Fan Fiction but I write as I think it would be played out. I have nothing against blondes, brunettes, redheads or greenheads. Wait...what? Don't shoot the writer. Oh! And I don't own these characters. If I did then you'd know about it, trust me.**

Upon seeing Nick standing there, Sara felt like her legs were going to give way. She looked at his brown eyes but he couldn't look back at hers. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her but she could have sworn she could see tears in Nick's eyes.

Sara opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. Silence. That's all that was there. Even Warrick didn't know what to say because he didn't know half of the story in which Sara was just about to tell.

As a tear fell from her right eye, she looked at Nick and whispered, "Nicky, it's not what yo-"

Nick cut her off, gesturing with his hands, "_Don't_, Sara. Just...just don't." Without another word he walked off.

"Nick! _Wait_!" The brunette was about to run after him but Warrick held onto her arm gently. She looked up at the tall man as if he has lost his mind, "I have to go after him!" She knew how desperate she sounded but she was. If there was one person she couldn't stand to see mad at her, it was Nick.

Warrick shook his head, "Give him time, Sara."

At that point, they heard footsteps and a young blonde came into view, "Hey, Miss, are you okay?" she looked at Sara with bright blue eyes. Both CSIs looked back at her and Warrick removed his arm from Sara. "You know you're not supposed to be in here, right?" she gestured in Warrick's direction, "It says women. Funnily enough I think that means it's for women," Her sarcasm didn't please Warrick.

"You know, you're quite smart for a blonde," he replied sarcastically. He didn't really judge people by their hair color but to him, it was obvious he was about to get hugely pissed off by her.

The woman was shocked by his words, "Excuse me?"

Warrick rolled his eyes, "C'mon, Sara."

"Oh, _you're_ Sara," She looked at Sara and put extra emphasis on the word 'you're'. Warrick frowned, obviously confused by the remark.

"I know who _I_ am, who're you?" she replied.

The blonde smirked and tilted her head to the side, "I'm the woman who's banging that sweet Texan you work with." She tucked a stray piece of her yellow hair behind her ear. Sara was jealous and immediately angry at the woman._ I'm the woman who's banging that sweet Texan you work with_. It just replayed over and over in her mind. She tried to keep her emotions under control again. What with being pregnant, this was a whole new case for the unemotional Sara Sidle.

Sara swallowed the lump in her throat that she didn't even know had built up inside, "I have to go." She began to walk away with Warrick following her, heading swiftly towards the door.

"What's wrong?" Sara reluctantly turned and looked at the woman, "You jealous, sweetheart?"

Seeing that Sara was making brisk walks toward the other woman, he made bigger steps to intercept them. Sara looked like she wanted to hit the other woman. He stood between them, "Look, Alana, is it?" The woman nodded and Sara looked at him.

"You know her?"

Warrick turned and looked at Sara, he knew his next line would hurt her yet he couldn't lie to her. She was like a sister to him. He figured the truth was better, "Yeah, uh...Nick has mentioned her a few times."

"Oh, has he now?" she looked directly at Warrick and then to Alana, "He's never mentioned you to _me_."

Alana scoffed, "I'm not surprised. Why _would_ he tell you?" she didn't let Sara answer, "All you've been doing is arguing with him lately. Just because you don't have a date for the christmas dinner, it doesn't give the right to shou-"

"Alana, stop it," Warrick said, somehow feeling Sara's emotions rise as he stood next to her. Alana smiled and Sara immediately walked out of the door in search of Nick.

"You happy now?" The blonde nodded and Warrick sighed, _Nicky, you have crap taste, my friend_.

Warrick walked out of the Ladies' bathroom getting a few stares as he did so. He didn't care, though. He had to find Sara yet again. It was too late though. He saw Grissom walking towards him. _Shit!_

"Ah, Warrick. Just the man," Grissom's cheerfulness didn't make Warrick's day any better. He had a feeling it was going to get a whole lot worse. Nevertheless, he looked up at the older man.

"Oh, hey Griss. What's up?"

"I have a case for you," Grissom said. Warrick cursed in his head. How was he supposed to find Sara if Grissom were to give him another case?

"Okay, shoot." He replied reluctantly yet respectfully.

Grissom looked at him, "I call this case The Curse of the Missing Nick." He gestured with his right hand as if he was envisioning the name in lights.

Warrick raised an eyebrow, "Come again?"

"What's going on Warrick? Nick ran out of the lab and yet again, I can't find Sara," his eyes met with the other man, "Now, you guys might not care if Ecklie has your ass but I certainly do." Warrick knew what Grissom was about to say, "Go find them. You have a few hours; things are fairly quiet here at the minute."

Warrick nodded and was about to leave in search of them when Grissom called him back, "Hey, Warrick?"

"Yeah, Griss?"

"Did you do my crossword?"

Warrick laughed and turned to walk out of the huge building hearing Grissom shout, "You could have finished it!" It just made him smile more.


	7. Chapter 7

After walking out of the bathroom in the lab, Nick had gone back to his apartment and opened and eventually consumed a bottle of whiskey. _Sara's pregnant_. How could she be pregnant? She and Hank had split up and it must have been at least a year since that had happened. He just couldn't work it out. As he sat there on the sofa, Nick replayed everything he heard back at the lab. He had so many questions and no answers to them. The one person who would be able to give him answers was Sara but there was no way that he was going to see her.

Leaning back against the back of the sofa, Nick closed his eyes. He thought about how well they had both been getting on, lately. Minus the arguments, of course. Every time he saw her smile, it was mainly because of something he had done or said. It made him happy to know that. _So why would she sleep with Hank?_ Truth be told, Nick was angry. Okay, he wasn't the most attractive guy in the world, but Hank? The guy who cheated on her was the man she slept with not so long ago.

Nick was going to get up and get another bottle of any alcohol he could find. He was interrupted, though and he sighed as felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Taking it out, he looked at the screen. _Warrick_. His best friend, his brother. The one he was supposed to rely on when things were as low as they could get. Not this time though. Nick felt betrayed by both Sara and him and didn't think twice when he rejected the call. Why would she tell Warrick that she was pregnant and not him? Before he had time to contemplate his new question, he heard a knock at the door. He figured that whoever it was would go away, though so he didn't answer it. He was wrong.

_Goddammit!_ He cursed in his head and then got up to answer the door. As he opened it, he looked up at the woman in front of him.

"Sara," he found it hard to get his words out and his usually deep voice came out as a quiet whisper. He could tell she had been crying again because her eyes were swollen and red.

She tilted her head slightly to the side, trying to work out what he was thinking, "Hey…"

They stood there in silence for a few minutes until something changed with Nick, "Sara, you need to leave."

The brunette shook her head, "I can't. You have no idea how hard this is for m-"

"How _hard_ this is for you?" Nick scoffed and opened his mouth to say something else. He stopped himself and thought about her child. Stress wasn't something she needed right now. He walked over to the sofa and left Sara at the door to decide whether or not she wanted to come in. Neither of them got a chance to decide for her because a car pulled up outside. When Nick looked up, he saw Warrick standing next to Sara.

From where he was standing by the sofa, Nick laughed out loud, "Warrick! You're here! _Now_ it's a party."

Both Warrick and Sara looked at each other. It was obvious that Nick had been drinking because the empty bottles were on the coffee table. With a hidden understanding, both of them walked into Nick's apartment and closed the door behind them.

"Nick, listen I-"

"No, Sara!" Nick looked at her still standing in the same place as before, "I'm _done_ listening to you!" He didn't mean to shout but the betrayal he felt took over the controlled persona he usually had.

"Hey, man. You need to calm down," Warrick's input didn't help.

Nick's eyes focused on Warrick now, "Don't you _dare_ tell me to calm down! You're supposed to be my friend and instead of-You know what? Just forget it. I'm sick of you guys playing me for a fool. Well, I'm not playing that part anymore, you hear me?"

Sara shook her head and spoke quietly but loud enough for them both to hear, "Nicky, you've got it all wrong."

"No, Darlin'…" Nick's term of endearment wasn't meant in a loving way, "_You've_ got it all wrong. I have been working my ass off to try and please you, Sara! I was there for you when you broke up with Hank, I was there for you when you met the damn guy. I was the one who persuaded you to go out with him because I wanted _you_, Sara, YOU, to be happy!"

Warrick looked between the other two people in the room and could see how both of their hearts were breaking after every word was being said. They were just too damn stubborn to notice how much the other person was hurting.

Sara retaliated, "Don't give me that crap, Nick! I can't even count the number of times I've been there for you and backing you up when you're flirting with some whore. Then when it all goes wrong I work to try to get your ass out of trouble," She laughed, "That's your job, though, isn't it? Sleeping with hookers is all you're good at. Makes Alana look like Angelina Jolie."

While Warrick stood with his eyes wide by what he was hearing, Nick carried on and opened his mouth before he thought about what he was about to say, "You're just jealous, Sara!"

Sara took a step back as Nick carried on, "You know that no man would _ever_ ask you out. It's no wonder that Hank cheated on you!"

"You Son of a Bitch!" Sara lost it and ran towards Nick, pushing him. Before Warrick could get to Sara, Nick fell back against the wall and before she had the chance to hit him, Warrick grabbed her hand in midair.

"Sara!" Warrick pulled her back and watched as both of them had tears falling from their eyes, "Think of the baby."

Sara stopped and took a step back but Nick didn't, "Speaking of your baby," Sara noted how he put emphasis on 'your'. "He cheated on you, why the hell did you go ahead and fuck him?" Sara didn't answer. "Are you THAT desperate?"

"Nick!-"

Warrick was cut off by Sara, "It's not like that!"

"Then what is it like, Sara?" Nick was practically screaming.

"It doesn't matter!"

"It matters to me!"

"HE RAPED ME!" Sara screamed in Nick's face and then covered her mouth with her hands. She hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Sara could feel two pairs of eyes completely focused on her and suddenly she felt very vulnerable. Neither of the other two CSIs knew what to say to that. What _could_ they say? Nick could see how Sara's hands were shaking and how she couldn't make eye contact with him. Her eyes seemed to find Nick's Texan rug on the floor very interesting.

Taking a deep breath, Nick spoke very quietly, "Wh-what did you say?" His lower lip was trembling with the tears that were about to fall.

Sara still couldn't look at him, "He raped me, Nicky," she whispered so quietly that both Warrick and Nick had to lip read as well as listen to hear her.

Silence consumed the room so Warrick spoke up, "I'll give you guys some time alone." Truth be told, Warrick was going to run a search on Hank's car. He knew Nick would wanna join him in giving the bastard what he deserved.

"No!" Sara's eyes looked up at Warrick, "Sorry. I just...you guys are family to me. I want, no…" she corrected herself, "I _need_ to tell you guys what happened." She sniffed and then put on one of her smiles, "I'll go and make us some coffee and then I'll explain everything."

Before either of them had a chance to protest, Sara rushed out of the room and did as promised. Nick stood there staring at the place it which Sara had been standing previously. He was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard his name being called by Warrick.

"Nicky, you need to sit down," Nick nodded and sat on the sofa.

"Why, man?" Nick looked at Warrick who had joined him on the sofa, "Why Sara?"

"The only person who can answer your questions are Sara and Han-him," Warrick didn't want to mention his name.

Just then, Sara came back into the room with three coffees. Nick smiled sadly at how she was concentrating on not spilling any of them.

"Here," she placed them on the coffee table and sat down on the arm chair opposite Nick. Once again, the room was silent. Nick couldn't speak, Warrick was angry and Sara didn't have a clue where to begin. Neither of them was sure who felt the most hurt by the whole thing. Sara cleared her throat and looked at the two men opposite her, "I went on a date with him."

Both men looked at her and began to listen. This was Sara's story to tell and they weren't planning on speaking until she allowed them to.

"It's stupid, I know. I mean, the guy made me the 'other woman'," she made the quotation marks with her fingers, "But he told me that he'd broken up with her to be with me. I hate to admit it but I believed him."

She carried on looking at the two men as they looked back at her, "After you and I had that argument; the first argument," she said, obviously meaning Nick, "I won't lie, I got desperate. I wanted a date and when he asked I thought that things might be able to change between him and I and I would have a Christmas like everyone else." She looked down, "I was wrong,"

"We went to that new Italian place. I got dressed up for him; make up and everything. Anyway, we ate and then we got to that awkward part of the date where you know you want to go to the other person's house but you're too scared to ask," she smiled but it wasn't a happy smile, "Well, he asked me if I wanted to go back to his. I told him no because I had an early shift in the morning. He made me feel guilty, though. He told me about how he'd paid for the food and was trying his hardest to make things work, while I was doing nothing to help our relationship…"

Neither of the men spoke even though they had a lot to say, "So I reluctantly asked him back to my place. He said yes, obviously and we sat there talking and watching TV. Something felt weird, though. I thought nothing of it and we got talking about some scientific experiment in the newest edition of The Science Journal. The copy was in my room and I was trying to prove a point about something that we were discussing. You guys know how I hate to lose an argument," All three of them smiled despite what happened earlier, "so I went into my room…"

Warrick felt Nick tense up beside him as both of them knew what was coming, "I was gone around two minutes before I heard the door to my bedroom close. I turned to find...him, standing there…"

"Hank…" Sara couldn't help but note how weird it felt to have him in her room. "I'm almost done, I'll be out in a minute,"

_Hank smiled at her, "How about we stay in here?"_

_Slowly, he began to walk towards her. Sara froze, it was obvious what he wanted but things were moving way too quickly for her liking, "Hank, I can't…" before she had the chance to finish her sentence, Hank leant forward and placed a kiss on her lips. His hands moved around to the back of her head, pushing her and forcing her into the kiss. Sara placed both her hands on his chest and tried to push him away, hoping he would take the hint. To her joy, he removed his hands and stopped kissing her._

_"I'm sorry, I just can't do this right now. It's too soon after everything we've been through."_

_"Sara, I've told you. I left her for you. I'm crazy about you and I want this," he moved forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his crotch against her thigh, "I _need_ this."_

_Sara shook her head, "Hank, I can't. Please, I just…" he kissed her again, this time he licked, kissed and bit her lips while he move his hands to the back of her head again and forced her head against his._

_"Mhhh!" she tried to protest and push him off. Hank stopped and gave her a hard slap across the face. Sara immediately felt tears run from her eyes and her cheek began to burn._

_"Goddamn, Sara! Why do you have to make everything so fucking difficult?" Sara stepped back and moved back against the chest of drawers that she had been looking in prior to the incident._

_She watched as Hank stepped forward and looked at him, "Please, just leave. I'm begging you."_

_He smiled at her, "Lay on the bed and I promise this won't hurt."_

_Another tear fell, "No," she said, her voice shaking, "I'll call the police if you don't leave…" it was an empty threat. Her phone was in the dining room and she couldn't reach the other one in her bedroom because it was the other side of her double bed._

_At that moment, Hank went for her, "You bitch!" He grabbed her by her hair and pulled. Sara screamed in pain as he pulled her towards the bed. She felt the back of her knees hit the foot of the bed. He let go of her hair and pushed her hard on her chest which meant that she fell onto the bed._

_"Hank, please! Don't do this!"_

_He put his right hand over her mouth and started to unzip his flies with the other, "Shut up! I'll do whatever I want! Tonight, you're mine, Bitch!"_

_Sara screamed. Hank had made quick work of getting her undressed; her clothes were all over the room. As her got on top of her; his legs either side of her body, he leant down and bit her right nipple, moaning as he did so. Sara cried out at the pain and tried to struggle against Hank's hands where he had them pinned above her head._

_"Hank, please!"_

_He looked up as he used one hand to pin both of hers, while the other opened her legs, "That's it, Sara," He smiled a smile that sent chills up her spine, "I want to hear you scream. Beg for it!" Before she could say anything or attempt to push him off, he entered her with one quick thrust. She couldn't help but scream in pain again, while Hank wasn't all that big, the force in which he entered her with was enough to take her breath away. It hurt and he loved every second of it._

_Knowing he was getting pleasure out of her crying and being in pain, she bit her lower lip as she tried to be quiet even though it was hurting like hell. A tear rolled down the side of her cheek as she began to taste metal in her mouth. _Blood_. She must have been biting so hard that her lip had started to bleed. Hank began to move faster, thrusting in and out of her with force that she didn't even know any man could have. He was moaning and she wasn't sure what was worse, the physical pain or the sick mental pleasure that he was getting from this. Every time Sara would try to close her legs, Hank would for them open again and go even harder as punishment for her and pleasure for him._

_After what felt like forever, Hank emptied himself into Sara without even thinking about the consequences or the fact that there would be DNA evidence inside of her. Both were breathing heavy; Sara because she was scared and being pushed and pulled and Hank because of what he was doing to her._

She looked down, not wanting to see the expressions on the other faces in the room, "A-After, he had...finished, he got up, got dressed and left. I laid there on the bed wondering why," at this point, she broke down, "_why_ would he do that to me? What did I do wrong?"

Nick wanted to scream at her that she had done nothing wrong but he was both angry and completely speechless. All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around Sara and tell her that everything would be okay. He'd look after her. He'd make her feel safe. _He_ would be the one to kill that Son of a Bitch and make sure that she would never have to think about him again. The words got lost in his throat, though.

"He just left and last I heard, no one has seen him at work for the past two months. I think he's left," she finally managed to look up at them, "I wanted to tell someone," she said, crying still, "I wanted to tell you, Nicky but I-I…" Nick couldn't take it anymore, he reached out and held her hand. She held his back as he began to run his thumb over the other side of her palm, "I couldn't tell you because then I'd ruin whatever it is that we have..._had_, between us."

Nick looked at her then moved to kneel at her feet, still holding her hand, "Sara, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm in love with you!"

_Finally!_ Warrick smiled, even though he too had been crying from Sara's ordeal. Sara's eyes shot up to look at Nick, "What?" She didn't give him time to answer, "No, no, no, no, NO! You _can't_ love me Nick, I'm not capable of loving anyone. Not now, not ever!" She slipped her hand out of his and stood up.

Nick followed suit and looked down at her, "Sara, _please_."

"I have to go…"

Sara turned and began to walk away when something clicked in her mind. She had to know what it felt like to have Nick for even the shortest of seconds. Before she knew what she was doing, she turned and ran towards Nick, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a long kiss on the lips. He was thrown but he wrapped his round arms her waist and kissed her back.

The kiss didn't last very long before she pulled away and removed his hands from her waist. A tear fell from her eye as she whispered against his lips, "I'm so sorry."

Nick attempted to reach out for her but his reaction was too late and she was already near the door. He watched her disappear and heard her Denali driving away.

Warrick looked at his brother standing there, staring at the place where Sara departed.

She was gone and Nick's world collapsed all over again.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So, I haven't updated recently and I'm very sorry. I've been in hospital and very busy with college. However, I'm _out_ of hospital and I've _finished_ college, too, so hopefully there shall be more updates! Thank you so much for being patient. Please R&R! **

Nick looked at Warrick but couldn't speak. It was all too much. What with Sara being pregnant, Hank raping her and then her rejection; he couldn't take it. He didn't say a word when he grabbed his car keys and ran out of the door. Warrick stood there for a second until he realized what had just happened. Nick had been drinking and there's no way that one cup of coffee had sobered him up. He followed but Nick's car was already gone. Warrick was worried and he called the one person who would know what to do.

The man answered, "Grissom"

"Griss, I need you to trace Nick's car" Warrick's voice was urgent and already, Grissom was concerned.

"What's happened?" Grissom heard Warrick close the door to his car and start the engine.

"I'll explain later. I just need you to do it," Despite his worry, Grissom ran into the room in which Archie was stationed. Warrick heard Grissom tell Archie what to do and without question, he did as he was told. However, he didn't like Grissom's next words.

"He's just rounded the corner to Desert Palm Hospital," He heard Warrick curse under his breath. "Warrick what's happened? Do I need to call backup for you guys?"

"No, Griss. I think Nicky is looking for Hank." Warrick began to make his way to the hospital as he spoke to Grissom.

"What? Why would he need to do that?" Then he realised, "Wait, isn't that the guy Sara dated?"

Warrick went silent for a minute before replying, "I can't talk about it right now. I just need you to call Sara and tell her that Nick is DUI and-"

"Nick is drunk?" Warrick sighed and immediately regretted what he said.

"He had a few, yes. As I said, call her and tell her Nick is at the hospital but make sure that she doesn't leave the lab. She's…" Warrick bit his tongue. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"No, what's wrong with Sara, Warrick?"

Warrick sighed, "She's pregnant, Griss. Hank raped her…"

Grissom was shocked but remained calm. He began to understand why everything had been happening recently and also why Nick was as the hospital. "Call me when you find him." They both clicked off the phone and Warrick finally arrived at the hospital. He walked through the huge doors and quickly scanned the rooms in sight for Nick. No luck.

"Can I help you, Sir?"

Warrick turned to find a receptionist looking at him from her desk. He walked over to her, "Could you tell me if Hank Pettigrew still works here, please?"

The receptionist wasn't sure of Warrick's intentions so she asked him why he needed to see him, "I work for the crime lab. CSI Warrick Brown." He showed her his ID. She leaned forward slightly and smiled at him, "Nice picture." If this was any other time, Warrick would have given her a line back. Instead, he smiled back, "Thanks. Can you check for me, please?"

She nodded and typed on her computer, "No, Mr. Brown. Apparently Mr Pettigrew left without notice two months ago."

"Damn," he put his badge back in his breast pocket and sighed, "Is there anyone here who was close to him?"

The woman thought for a minute, "If this is the Hank I'm thinking about, I heard he's a hit with the ladies. He's probably screwed half the women in this hospital. There was this one girl I heard he dated and cheated on her but then again I'm not surprised about that." She looked over at another doctor, "If anyone knows where Hank is, it'll be him." The woman gestured to a man with a nod in his direction.

"Thank you," Warrick gave her a grateful smile and ran to catch up with the Doctor who was briskly walking away.

The doctor stopped and turned, "Excuse me, I'm with the-"

"Yeah, I know who you are. I heard you talking to Rachel over there. You wanna know about Hank?" The man seemed agitated.

Warrick nodded, "I need to know where he went a couple months ago."

The man looked at him and Warrick took a glance at his name badge. _Dr. Pettigrew_. Following his gaze, the man smiled but said nothing. He probably took satisfaction in the fact Warrick had to ask him.

"You're his Brother?"

The man laughed lightly and shook his head, "No." Warrick was confused until, "I'm his Father but thank you for the compliment. What do you want with Hank? Is he in trouble?"

Though he was still trying to get over the shock of who this man was, he too shook his head and remained calm, "No, it's just I'm working on a case in which a woman is using him as an alibi. I need to know if her story checks out. Where can I find him?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, "I don't know where my Son is currently living. The last I spoke to him was two months ago. He told me he had to get away for a while and so far, he hasn't come back."

"Did he say why?"

Dr. Pettigrew sighed, "Look, my Son and I have never got along but I love him and if he's in trouble then-"

"No, no. He's not in trouble, as I said, I would just like to know why he may have left," Warrick replied quickly.

"Well, I'm afraid I cannot help you with that," The Doctor paused before adding, "hold on a minute. He did mention a woman he'd been seeing. I think her name was Sara, though, I'm not one hundred percent sure. When she dumped him, he was heartbroken and I think that's why he left. He told me that she cheated on him with another guy," Warrick carried on listening but couldn't believe what he was hearing, "I think his name was," He knew what was coming next, "Stokes. Uh, Nick, I believe. Yeah," the man nodded, "Nick Stokes."

Obviously, Warrick knew that Hank had been lying about the whole affair but he decided not to let his Father know that. Instead, Warrick nodded and politely thanked him for the information. Walking out of the hospital to his car, he decided to scan the immediate area and the parking lot for Nick's car. Nothing. He sighed to himself and began to drive back to the lab when he spotted Sara's Denali around two minutes from the hospital. She didn't see him, though. She was sitting at the wheel, staring at the diner across the street. Warrick parked next to her and tapped on the window twice. The second time, she jumped.

"Warrick…" she mumbled and unlocked the door for him to open.

He got in the passenger's side and looked at her, "How long have you been here, Sara?"

"A while," she answered, still focused on the diner. She looked tired and paler than usual. Warrick didn't comment, though. He knew how she must have been feeling after the past two months she'd had.

"What're you staring at?" It was lame but he was curious.

"Did you know Nick and I went on a date together?" It was out of the blue and if he was being honest, he didn't know how to reply to that. She didn't give him the chance, though.

"We went on a date because he had nothing to do one Saturday and he thought I should get out more and have fun. He never said that it was for those reasons but it was obvious," she smiled sadly and turned to the man next to her, "Warrick, we had fun and it was nothing romantic it was just two friends showing each other that you can feel...alive even when you see so much death."

"He loves you, Sara."

She scoffed, "I'm pregnant, Warrick! Even if he _did_ love me, he doesn't want or need a baby right now and he certainly doesn't need me! Besides, he's with Alana…" Sara wanted to sigh at the last part but she held it in.

"He's with Alana because he thought he couldn't have you"

"Well, he's right, Warrick," she looked down, "he can't have me."

At that point, Warrick jumped when Sara's phone rang. She didn't seem phased by it, though, "It'll be Grissom. He's been trying to reach me for an hour or so now." Warrick located her phone and answered it.

"Sidle," Sara looked at him and laughed quietly.

"Of course it's me, Griss," Warrick laughed, "I'm with her now...no, I haven't found him yet. We'll be there soon, okay? Alright, bye."

Sara took her phone back and looked at him again, "Haven't found who yet?" Warrick remained silent and that gave Sara the answer she didn't want, "Tell me he didn't take his car, Warrick…"

"He'll be okay, Sara."

"Damn it!" she slammed her hand on the wheel and began to start the car.

"Sara, stop the car. You're in no fit state to drive."

"Either c-" Sara stopped talking for the shortest of seconds and placed a hand on her stomach, leaning forward slightly.

Warrick looked at her, "Are you okay?"

She nodded quickly, "I'm fine. Just hungry. As I was saying, either come with me or get out, Warrick. I need to find him."

Warrick sighed, "At least let me drive. I'll get someone to pick up my car tomorrow."

She sighed and they swapped seats, Warrick had other plans though.


	9. Chapter 9

"Warrick, where are we going?" Sara could see that he was heading back to the hospital and she was angry. All she wanted to do right now was find Nick and put an end to a day that had turned out to be...well, crap. Warrick didn't answer her. Like before, he parked in the same parking lot as his car, got out and ran around to the other side to open the door for her.

"Why are we here?" She reluctantly stepped out of the vehicle and felt Warrick take her hand.

He answered her question with a question of his own, "Sara, how long have you been having pains?"

She sighed and looked at him, "I told you, Warrick. I'm just hungry. It's nothing."

He smiled and began to pull her toward the hospital, "Well, if it's nothing then you got nothing to worry about, do ya?"

Once they were inside the hospital, Warrick had explained to the same receptionist as before what had been happening. Sara was quiet beside him so he didn't have much information to go on. After ten minutes of waiting, a nurse escorted them to a room and advised Sara to lay on the bed. She sighed but for once she did as she was told without protesting. The nurse left to see another patient but promised she wouldn't be long.

Warrick looked at her and decided to break the silence with humor, "Just think, next time you're in here you'll be pushing out a seven pound baby."

Her eyes went wide and she looked down at her hands in her lap.

_A baby_.

Though Sara was pregnant, she had never thought about the part where she was giving birth and then taking the baby home.

_Home_.

That's a whole other subject. She'd had always felt at home in Vegas but never did she think about raising a family there.

_Family_.

Family was something that Sara never had. The many foster homes meant nothing to her and most of the experience was just one big, bad memory. A memory that she, no matter how hard she tried, could not forget. She wasn't the person that people would consider a Mother. Mothers knew how to look after their children, she could barely look after herself. What with having a Father who was abusive and a Mother who was a murderer, Sara had decided that children wasn't something that she wanted and after her little but frequent episodes of alcoholism, she just couldn't do that to a baby.

"I can't do this, Warrick!" She started to get up but the nurse came back before either she or Warrick could protest further. She sat back down and the nurse looked at her.

"So, Ms Sidle, you've been having pains?" She began.

"Uh…" She looked at Warrick though she wasn't sure why. She was nervous, though. He threw back a look that, in her mind said, Tell the truth, Sidle. Sighing, she nodded, "Yeah, I have."

The nurse nodded, "And you're…" she checked the file she had been given, "You're two months pregnant?" Sara nodded again and the nurse asked her how frequent the pains were.

"Uh...I didn't count. They come and they go, I guess."

"How many have you had, Ms Sidle?"

"Just two."

The nurse nodded, "Have you eaten anything that maybe wasn't in date or-"

Sara cut her off, "No. I…" she sighed, "I haven't eaten since last night."

"_WHAT_?" Warrick blushed at his outburst, "Sorry."

Despite what was going on, both Sara and the nurse smiled softly, "That explains it then." Sara turned her head to look back at the nurse, "Sara, you have to eat. You mustn't forget that you're eating for two now. You have to keep your strength up, as well as your baby's." Sara nodded apologetically to both the nurse and Warrick.

Before the nurse could say anything else, there was a knock on the door for her. She went outside and when she came back, she wasn't alone.

"_Nicky_."

"Hey, Sar'" He stood at the door looking at her and nothing else.

The nurse interjected, "Can he stay? Or would you like me to call secu-"

"No! No, he can stay."

The nurse nodded and began to speak, "There is nothing I can give you for your pains, though, I'm sure one of these lovely young men will take you out to dinner." Sara smiled and knew which one she hoped it would be. "Try to get some rest and make sure you eat well." Sara nodded and the nurse continued, this time she was looking at Warrick, "You're going to make a great Father someday."

Nick looked at the floor but Warrick spoke up, "Oh, no! I'm not the Father," he paused and decided to try his luck once again this week, "he is." At that point, all eyes were on Nick and Warrick wasn't sure whether he'd overstepped the mark with his teasing and attempt at getting them together. Sara and Nick were both silent for very different reasons and it was only the nurse that spoke up.

"Well, nothing changes the fact that one day, you'll both make amazing Fathers," she looked at Nick, "congratulations, Sir." With that she left.

The entire room was silent after what Warrick had just said. If it wasn't for the circumstances, he would have been laughing. His eyes moved from the two of them as they stared at each other. Neither saying a word but both thinking a lot.

Warrick held back a smile and cleared his throat, "Ahem," both Nick and Sara broke the contact they had with each other and looked at him, "I think we should get going."

They nodded and all three began to walk out of the hospital. When it came to driving home, Warrick had decided that neither of them were fit to drive so he called Grissom and asked for someone to pick their cars up and have them driven back to the lab. Sara and Nick got into Warrick's car with Sara at the front and Nick at the back. He drove them back to the lab and Grissom all but cheered for joy when he saw Nick and Sara back at last. Warrick just laughed while Grissom asked to see both Nick and Sara in his office to talk about the current situation. Warrick left them to it and was instructed to help Greg on his case. Trash run. _Fun_.


	10. Chapter 10

It was a new day and to Sara's dismay, it was the day of the party. The conversation with Grissom and Nick had gone better than expected. Though she was scared, she told Grissom the whole truth about the rape and where she and Nick had been throughout various moments of the week. During the hour spent in Grissom's office, she was shocked when she saw the sadness that filled his eyes when she told him of the ordeal. This was the Grissom she had fallen in love with. A man that showed his emotions even if he was a masked man the rest of the time.

It was different now, though.

She had a baby to think about and somewhere along the line, she realized that there would never be an 'us' with him. Though Sara would never admit it, for once in her life, she gave up. She had stopped being at Grissom's disposal and she had learnt to say 'no' to him when she wanted or felt she needed to. In time, it had led her to grow much closer to the other CSIs, especially Warrick and Nick.

_Nick…_

Sara was shaken out of her thoughts when she looked at the clock in the break room. It was only ten minutes until the end of her shift and Ecklie was refusing to give her anymore time at the lab, as he had already given her more overtime than he should have. With a sigh, she got up from the table she was sitting at and walked out. Even though it was early, she could already see the lab technicians, CSIs and a few police officers in their elegant dresses and tuxedos. Something which, in her opinion, she would have never been able to pull off in a million years.

She carried on walking until she accidentally bumped into someone, "I'm sor-" When she looked up from the ground she stopped halfway through her sentence when she noticed who she had bumped into.

"'S'okay, Darlin'," He gave her a small smile but she wasn't sure how to respond. Instead, she took the opportunity to look at him. Her eyes carefully scanned from his black leather shoes, right up to his matching black tie. She laughed inwardly as the first thing that came to mind was James Bond. Though Sara didn't judge people on how they dressed or what they looked like, she couldn't help but let her mind wander at the sight of Nick Stokes in a suit.

"Are you okay, Sara?"

Apparently, he either didn't notice her staring or he chose to play dumb. Either way, she smiled softly, "Yeah, I uh...I'm just on my way home. I'm sorry about...y'know...bumping into you and...things."

"Can we talk?" He asked.

She gave him a look, "Don't you have a dinner to get to?"

He laughed and even though the sound was small, it was a beautiful sound after everything that had happened to them both, "I came back to see you. The dinner has been and gone. I should be getting changed for the after-party but a certain someone accidentally bumped into me." He winked at her but she didn't get the joke.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to bump int-"

"Sar', I'm kidding," He grinned at her defensive reply. After that, both fell silent for a few minutes. For them, it was just nice to talk and have their usual banter without all the accusations and arguments. However, deep down they both knew that they would have to talk everything over at some point.

Sara was the first to speak, "I should let you get changed. Everyone seems to be leaving." She gestured to the various people making their way out of the lab.

"Come with me," He spoke before he thought about what he was saying.

She immediately shook her head, "No, Nick. I can't."

As much as he wanted to, Nick didn't press the matter. She wasn't sure if she imagined it or not but she was sure that there was sadness in his eyes at her rejection.

Nevertheless, he still managed to force a smile, "It's cool. I'll see you around."

She nodded and watched him pass by her. Before she could stop herself she shouted a 'wait!' to him. He immediately turned and she made a small jog to him. She was going to say she had changed her mind but the words just wouldn't come out of her mouth. When she didn't say a word, Nick gave her a weird look and chose to speak first.

"Sar'?"

"Yeah? Oh, uh, your tie," she reached up and began to straighten his tie. She wasn't lying; his tie _did_ need adjusting but she knew that it was also a good excuse just to be with him a few minutes more. As she adjusted it, his eyes never left her. It was as though his eyes were lasers burning into her. She couldn't help but look back up at him as she ran her fingertips down and over his tie, smoothing it out. The touch was small but somehow a little too intimate for her. She took her hand away and forced a smile, "There." He had to say something but he didn't know what. Eventually, he didn't have to. Sara took his silence as her que to leave and with a smile, she walked out of the lab and made her way home.

He would have gone after her but his legs wouldn't move. Instead, he made his way to the locker room finding his change of clothes in his locker. When Warrick walked in, he didn't speak because he knew exactly who the conversation would be about. Too late.

"Hey, man. How's Sara? I saw you both talking outside." It was safe to say this conversation was going to be long...


	11. Chapter 11

Sara was never the type of person to dress like a lady, as it were but there were days where she would quite happily do anything to make herself feel better. As soon as she walked through the door to her apartment, she was already contemplating the range of things that she could do. Of course, one of those things used to be drinking. Just forget the 'ones that got away', the difficult cases; the world. She couldn't do that now though. She had made a promise to both Grissom and herself. Instead, she walked into her bedroom and looked through her closet. She had planned to sort through the things there and give the clothes she didn't wear to charity.

However, her eyes fixed upon a dress she had bought a few years ago. Boredom had resulted in her trying it on. She looked in the mirror and for once, she liked how she looked in a dress. It was red and sat just above her knees. She noted how the dress made her slender form look much more curvy and she couldn't help but smile softly in the mirror. Of course, the small bump on her stomach didn't go unnoticed in that dress either.

Part of her wanted to laugh. She had refused to go to the dinner because "Sara Sidle doesn't do dresses" yet here she was in a dress with no where to go. She shrugged and moved to her dresser, taking a red lipstick from it and placing it on her lips, looking in the mirror as she did so. Using a tissue, she dabbed the excess of the lipstick off her lips and picked up her mascara, also putting that on.

Deciding that she had had her fun for the night, she grabbed her tank top and pajama bottoms from her dresser and was about to get changed when she heard a knock at the door. At first she was torn between attempting to make a quick change into her night clothes and probably tripping over or answering the door in what she was wearing. Contemplating that had caused the seconds to tick by so she decided to go and answer the door in what she was currently dressed in.

What she saw when she opened the door surprised the hell out of her.

"Hey, Darlin'," Nick almost choked on the last word when he noticed what she was wearing. He'd never seen her in anything like that before and he couldn't help but notice that the dress hugged her body tightly and made her breasts look larger. Though Nick was admittedly an 'ass man', the way Sara was dressed went places that, given their current situation, they should not have gone.

As she spoke, she tried to hold back her shock, "Nicky. What are you doing here?" What Nick was wearing didn't go unnoticed by Sara either. The choice of shirt made him look more toned than usual and she couldn't help but look at him from head to toe for the second time that day.

Once he'd gained his composure he smiled softly, "You refused to come to the party, so I bought the party to you." Sara grinned, he looked so happy with himself and it made her happy after everything that had happened between them. Without saying anything else, she moved aside to allow him into her apartment. Both sat on the sofa next to each other.

She looked at him, tilting her head to the side, "So, Nick, what party things did you bring?"

He grinned, "Me."

"Oh? So now you're a party thing?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh…" It was obvious he didn't know how to answer that and she could have sworn she saw him blush lightly. He changed the subject, "Are you going out on a date?" When the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Even if she were, he knew he had no right in asking. He was relieved when she shook her head.

"No, I was just trying my old clothes on and seeing which needed to make a trip to the charity store."

"Well, that little number you're wearing is going no where, Sara," He smiled at her blush, "it looks good on you."

"Thanks…" This type of conversation was a bit awkward for Sara. She'd never received many compliments so when she did, she never knew how to respond to them. She, like Nick, made a quick change of subject, "Would you like anything to drink?"

He smiled, "I came prepared." He pulled a bottle of wine out of the bag he was carrying and placed it on the floor. Sara must have been staring at his body too much before because she didn't even know he'd bought anything with him.

"Nick, I can't uh...drink," she saw Nick's eyes immediately go to her stomach.

"Right! Duh!" He felt like an idiot, "Sorry, Sar', it's gonna take a while to get used to you pregnant." She nodded and the sadness in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by Nick.

"What's wrong, Sara?"

After a short pause, she replied, "I'm alone, Nick."

He moved closer to her on the sofa and she could feel the heat coming off his body. They were practically thigh-to-thigh. He placed a hand on her bare leg and she flinched slightly. Nick didn't notice. _Thank God_.

"You're never going to be alone, Sara. Never." He stroked her leg softly and Sara couldn't help but watch him as he did so.

When he noticed her looking, he removed his hand quickly and looked into her eyes. Sara returned the gesture and both sat there just gazing at each other, each refusing to let the other go. Never breaking eye contact, Sara took his hand and placed it back on her knee, this time further up. Her leg was cold and his warm hand made her let go of a breath neither knew she was holding. He leaned forward and Sara thought he was about to kiss her. She was wrong. Instead, he whispered in her ear.

"Sara, you're so beautiful." Her eyes closed as she felt his breath brush across her neck. It was safe to say that she wanted Nick.

She _needed_ Nick.

It was getting too much for her. She turned to look at him and wasted no time in placing a kiss upon his lips. As soon as she realized what she was doing, she moved back, "Nick, I'm sorry. I don't kno-"

He placed a finger on her lips, silencing her and kissed her neck instead. He used the hand that was on her knee to run up her right side where it stopped at her waist. The touch sent chills through her body and she let out yet another breath.

"Bedroom," she whispered, "please, Nicky."

As shocked as he was, he placed his right arm under her knees and one around her back, lifting her to her room. He had no trouble finding it as the door was open from before. He laid her on the bed carefully and laid next to her. Though they were both laying on her bed, Nick had no intentions of doing anything she wasn't ready for or anything that may hurt her baby.

Sara turned on her side, looking at Nick but not knowing what to say or do. Right now, both knew that lust was causing most of the tension in the room but were frozen. Was it right to go from friends to lovers? More to the point, would being lovers mean that they weren't friends at the end of it all? Sara was shaken out of her thoughts when Nick spoke.

"Sara, we don't have to...uh, do anything."

She wasn't sure if him saying that made her feel better or worse, "I know," she whispered. Silence filled the room again and Nick smiled at her. When she noticed, she questioned him.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, Sar'. Just…" he tilted his head to the side, "You're glowing. Being pregnant suits you." At that, Sara couldn't help but laugh at the change of events. A minute ago, they would have quite happily ripped each other's clothes off and now they were talking about how Sara had changed since she was pregnant. Her laughing stopped when she happened to glance at Nick's crotch. She hadn't meant to but lately everything, especially Nick, seemed to turn her on. When she saw the bulge between his legs, she couldn't help but stare.

He followed her eyes and immediately stood up, knowing exactly what she was looking at. He wasn't even going to try to defend himself and he didn't have to because Sara interrupted his thoughts.

"Fuck me."

Nick's eyes shot up and connected with hers, "W-What?" he had to cough. Apparently, those two words made his voice go straight where his brain was right now.

She crawled forward to the foot of the bed and Nick watched her actions; almost cat-like. It was sexy and not Sara-like at all. She tilted her head suggestively, "I'm serious." She ran a finger from his lips, down the center of his chest where she stopped at his flies. Nick watched her teasing and wanted more. Much more. When she cupped his crotch, Nick mentally thanked her and had to hold in a gasp.

"Sara…"

"Nicky, for once, I need you to shut up," she knelt so she was the same height as Nick on the bed, "Fuck. Me." She separated each word with a kiss. Nick was losing all self control and when Sara began to undo his shirt, that was it. Without another word, he forced his lips onto hers and Sara was more than happy to receive the kiss. They were hungry for each other. After nine years of flirtatious remarks and longing glances, this was what they needed. Each other.


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, people. It's gonna get a bit hot in here. You guys _finally _get to imagine Nick nekkid. XD Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while but I wanted to make sure that this chapter wasn't rushed. PLEASE NOTE, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be uploaded because I'm back at university next week. However, I _have_ started writing it. **

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><p>Their tongues tied and twisted, each fighting for dominance as they kissed. When Sara felt Nick's hands move to her head, she had to hold in a moan as they massaged and played with her hair. What Nick wanted was for her to be wearing nothing but her smile, however, rushing this wasn't an option. They had waited years to do this so a few minutes just didn't matter. Sara carried on undoing his shirt, deliberately letting Nick get harder by the minute in his tight jeans. She knew it would bug the hell out of him sooner or later. She grinned at the thought.<p>

The need for air was too much and Nick took it as an opportunity to ask her what she was grinning about, "Wha'so funny?"

Sara looked into his eyes and bit her lower lip to stop herself from smiling again. Nick almost melted at the innocent look she was giving when she mumbled, "Nothin'".

"Uh-huh…" he raised an eyebrow skeptically.

She grinned, slipping his shirt off his shoulders and onto the floor as she did so. Her grin went as soon as she saw his body. Nick saw her staring, it was his turn to grin now.

"Like what you see?" He smirked but before he even registered that it had happened, Sara had got up off the bed, turned Nick around and pushed him so he fell back onto it with a thud. He had opened his mouth to speak but before he could get his words out, Sara was straddling his waist and kissing his lips. He was shocked at how fierce she was with her kisses but he had no complaints about going along with it.

The truth was, Sara was bored of taking things slow. She needed Nick and she needed him now. The only thing that was restricting them were clothes. _Way_ too many clothes, in her opinion.

Nick sighed softly as he felt Sara's kisses move lower to his neck, then his right shoulder. She spent her time licking and kissing the area there until she could hear Nick's breathing getting slightly heavier. She smiled and trailed her hand down his smooth but hard chest to his crotch, where she cupped him for the second time that night. Nick hissed with pleasure and reluctantly bucked into her hand which he regretted after.

"Slow down, Cowboy," Sara whispered into his ear, using his usual nickname.

Nick moaned and thanked the lord as Sara got up off the bed and slipped his jeans off. She was happy to see that Nick was thinking along the same lines as her because he had already kicked his shoes off a while ago. She couldn't help but stand at the foot of the bed looking at Nick laying there with nothing but grey boxers on. He was harder than before and it made her courage from earlier disappear for some reason. Nick didn't smile. Not because he didn't want to but because he could see she was nervous now.

Nick took the opportunity to scoot down on the bed and pull Sara on to his lap, her legs kneeling either side of his thighs and her arms around him. Lucky for both of them, Sara wasn't directly on Nick's crotch, she was a few centimeters away and neither planned on moving those few measurements at the minute.

Sara bit her lip and looked down. Nick could tell she wanted to say something but he figured that maybe she wasn't sure how to. He spoke, "Are you okay?" It was lame, yes but what else was he supposed to say? She was so brave before and now he was wondering if she was thinking this was a mistake. She didn't reply.

"Sar'…" he used his fingertips to gently turn her head, "Look at me. What's wrong?" She looked at him and kissed his lips. This kiss was different, though. It was soft, long and she was no longer fighting him for dominance. It told him all he needed to know._ She's scared_. He felt like a dumbass for not realizing sooner. They were in her _bedroom_ where everything happened with...

"Nick…"

He ignored her, "Sar', I'm never going to hurt you. _Never_." He used his thumb to stroke her cheek softly and she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. She knew that he wouldn't but she couldn't help but still be scared and she hated herself for thinking he would ever lay a finger on her like that. The cheek Nick was stroking was the one Hank had slapped and Sara felt like somehow, he was making the pain disappear. The scars would always be there, though.

She looked at him and nodded slowly, "I know. I just…" She spoke quietly, "I hate knowing that it wasn't you."

Nick blinked, confused, "Wait, what?"

"No! Nick, I didn't mean that the way it came out. God...uh…" Sara sighed but had finally worked out where she was going with this, "I mean that this bed it...it's _tainted_. It's _crawling_ with his scent, his...his body and you can't smell or see either but I know they're there. I can feel him Nick!" Nick held her hands as she silently cried, "The only person I ever wanted to _feel_ in this bed was..._you_." At that, she looked up at him and he wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs. Nick couldn't reply to that, he was angry as hell with Hank and he wanted to make her pain go away so bad that it killed him inside.

He had an idea. Picking her up, he carried her over into the living room and back onto the sofa. At her confused look he replied, "Just give me two minutes, okay?" He kissed her forehead and she nodded and allowed him to do whatever he was about to do. She took the moment to wipe her eyes and mentally congratulated herself on buying waterproof mascara. When Nick came back, he held his hand out for her to take. As she did, he walked her back to her room.

Nick stood behind Sara with his arms around her waist as she looked at what he had done. She couldn't believe it. He had placed his clothes straight on the floor with the under sheet of the bed on top so that the floor wasn't hard on their backs. On top of that, the double duvet cover was folded in half so that one half could be laid on and the other would cover their bodies. At the top, he had placed her two pillows on top of one another. It looked just like a single bed but warmer.

She shivered as he spoke softly, his chin resting on her shoulder, "It's just you and I tonight, Sara."

She turned in his arms and gave him a look before pulling her dress over her head exposing her black, lace bra and matching girl boxers. Nick had no time to protest, not that he would have wanted to. She laid down on the bottom half of the cover and looked up at him, her head tilted slightly to the side, "Make love to me, Nicky."

She practically purred his name and Nick swallowed the lump in his throat and knelt at her feet, wanting to stare at her for a while. He was already impatient after a minute so he leant down to kiss her, sliding one of her legs in between his and vice versa so they were intertwined. He used an elbow for support as he repeated what she did from earlier. He kissed her jaw, then her neck where his lips finally made their way to her collarbone and throat. Soft moans escaped her lips and nick used his left hand to trace over her breast. Sara couldn't help but gasp softly so Nick reached behind her and undone her bra. Sara didn't need to be told and she removed it quicker than he had undone it, throwing it up onto the mattress.

Nick knelt again and took a moment to look at her half naked body just laying there. The cold, winter air made Sara shiver which made her nipples harden even more so than they already were. Nick leant down without a word and licked the right one. Sara breathed out, "_Nicky_…"

Nick didn't say anything back. Instead, he took her moans as an invitation and softly sucked the small nub. Using his left hand, he massaged her other breast, while his right hand trailed down her body, to her centre. He carried on sucking softly until he paid the other breast the same attention. His right hand began to rub her clit softly through her boxers and Nick almost came at how wet she already was.

Sara moaned as she placed her hand on Nick's head, running her slender fingers through his hair, encouraging him. Nick moved lower and kissed from her breasts down to her stomach. He smiled softly when he realized that, in a way, he was kissing her baby. He carried on making his way down as he slid her boxers off, checking her face for any signs that she didn't want to do this. She kept her eyes locked with his as she lifted her hips up for him to slide them off.

Nick leant down once again and took the sight of her in. She was beautiful. His fingertips lightly ran over the small line of pubic hair and Sara sighed softly.

"Nicky?" He looked up at her, "Stop teasing me?" He laughed softly at how she posed the statement as a question and he nodded. He was hard as a rock and the truth was, it was getting painful. He stood and slid his boxers down, throwing them across the room. Sara's breath hitched at seeing him fully naked in front of her. Before he could kneel back down, she knelt in front of him and wrapped her hand around his shaft.

"Sara…" she looked up at him innocently before wrapping her mouth around the head of his cock, "Ah! _Jesus_…" He had to pull away from her.

"The name's Sara, actually…" She grinned up at him and licked her lips.

He couldn't help but laugh softly, "Sara you can't...do...that," he was finding it hard to get the words out. He looked at her face at his rejection. "No, Sara, you _can_ do that but...not right now. If you do I'm gonna…" He let the sentence trail off, embarrassed.

She mocked a gasp, "_My_, _my_, so soon, Cowboy?" She smirked and raised an eyebrow, teasingly.

Nick shook his head and loved the fact that they were still giving and receiving their usual flirtatious remarks, "Look, _Sunshine_…" he knelt in front of her and she grinned at the nickname, remembering the day she got it, "I can't help it if you're too hot to handle."

"I think this counts as handling, Nicky." She replied, as she laid back down. She couldn't help but stare at his toned body and the 'V' shape that led to his penis. Nick caught her staring but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he hovered above her and kissed her again. The kiss was passionate but not as rough as their first one. Sara let out a loud moan when she felt his palm and fingertips run up and over her slit.

"_Nicky_…"

Nick knew he would never get tired of her saying his name like that. He smiled and whispered in her ear, "I think _this _is what counts as handling, _Darlin_'."

He was shocked when she breathed out heavily at his words so he slipped his middle finger slowly inside her, looking for any signs of discomfort. Of course, he didn't find any. Instead, Sara opened her legs wider for him. She wanted to touch him but when she reached down to stroke him, he moved away once again.

"No, Sara," He gave her a kiss on the lips before moving his finger in and out of her slowly. He couldn't believe how wet both she and his finger already were.

"Mmnnn," She couldn't help but lick her lips.

At her moan, he moved his finger out slightly before adding another. He took Sara's small gasp as a good sign and began to move them as before except this time, he went faster. Sara tried to open her legs even wider as Nick fingered her gently.

"Nicky…" she moaned, "faster"

Nick complied and went faster for her. When Sara gasped louder than before, he knew he'd found the right spot to hit.

"There," She breathed, "Oh God, _Nicky_, right _there_..."

Nick didn't thrust his fingers anymore, instead he rubbed the area in circles inside her, pleasing her even more before his fingers moved in a 'come hither' motion. He started off slow until he heard her whisper _harder_.

His fingers pumped her spot harder for her and she looked into his eyes as he fingered her. The look he was giving her was turning her on and she couldn't help but grip his right shoulder.

"Yes, Nicky. Yes!" He felt her begin to tighten around him but he didn't let her finish. He pulled his fingers out of her and kissed her lips at her disappointed look.

"Hold on, Darlin'"

He moved between her legs and ran the two fingers he fingered her with over his shaft, using her wetness as lube. Sara watched him and found what he was doing very erotic for some reason. She'd never admit it to him, though. He looked up at her, embarrassed.

"Sar', I don't have…"

"I trust you."

Nick swallowed at that. He was happy that she trusted him but he could never be sure that he would always follow through with her sentiment. After what had been happening between them lately, he knew that was a huge thing for her to say to him. However, he was grateful. He nodded and moved closer to her before slowly slipping inside her, guiding his penis just incase she was uncomfortable.

"Nicky," she breathed out again, adjusting to his size. She hadn't had sex with many men during her 36 years, through choice but she knew that Nick was by far the biggest and God, it felt good to have him inside her. He leant over her and kissed her as he slid further inside until he was all the way in. They both already began to breathe heavier, Sara because of the way he felt inside and Nick because of how wet she was around him.

As they kissed, Nick began to thrust in and out of her slowly, using one hand to steady himself and the other to hold her leg open for her. They licked each others lips as they both moaned softly into the kiss. Sara's fingers were back on Nick's shoulders once again as they made love. Nick had to break the kiss.

"Sar', you're _so_ tight…" He could barely get the words out.

"Fuck me, Nicky," she moaned, "_Please_,"

He began to speed up at her begging and soon began a steady rhythm that went faster and faster with each thrust. Every now and then Sara would gasp and Nick carried on aiming for the same spot each time, enticing louder moans from her mouth. Before either of them knew it, Nick was hitting the same spot over and over again for her and she immediately tightened her muscles.

"Nicky, yes! Right there!"

Nick was mentally proud at himself for not coming right there and then. The way she felt when she tightened around him was...indescribable. It felt _amazing_. He knew that neither of them would be able to hold on much longer so he went even faster and harder than before. Again, hitting her G-Spot.

"Ahh, Nicky! I'm gonna...soon," A word was replaced by a moan but neither of them minded. She closed her eyes. The pleasure was too much for her. It was nothing like what she had ever experienced before.

"Sara!" Nick was finding it difficult to wait for her to climax first. Lucky for him, he didn't have to. Nick moved as fast as he could for her watching her face as she moaned.

"Nicky! I'm gonna come for you!" she bit her lower lip.

"Open your eyes, baby" he whispered, "I wanna see those beautiful brown eyes as you come for me."

She did and he couldn't hold on either, "Sar', I'm gonna…" He was about to pull out when Sara put her legs around him, keeping him inside her.

"Inside me, Nicky! Come with me!" she moaned loudly, "Give it to me!"

They couldn't take it anymore, 'making love' turned into wild fucking. Nick climaxed a split second after Sara as he felt her wet pussy tighten around him. They both came moaning the other's name as Nick carried on thrusting inside her throughout their individual orgasms.

They were both breathing heavily and Nick took the opportunity to kiss her soft lips as her muscles pulsed around him from her orgasm. This was it. They'd had sex. They were in love. Nothing and _no one_ could take this away from them. Not even Hank.

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><p><strong>Please R&amp;R. They give me joy! ;D <strong>


	13. Chapter 13

Nick reached over in the make shift bed expecting to feel a sleeping Sara next to him but all he felt was the coldness of the bed sheet. Confused and half asleep, he wondered why his alarm didn't go off and more importantly, why Sara was no where to be seen. Sighing, he opened his eyes and looked at his watch. _9:30. Shit!_ He sprung up from the compromised bed realising he was over an hour late for work when it dawned on him why his alarm didn't wake him. This wasn't his apartment, it was Sara's. Not that you would have guessed that by the look of the room. Any evidence from the previous night was absent. Her clothes had disappeared, her scent had disappeared but more importantly, _Sara_ had disappeared. It saddened Nick to know that she had left without a word and without any traces of the night they had spent together. Now wasn't the time to dwell on that, though, he had to get ready and fast.

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><p>Nick walked in to the crime lab trying to sneak past everyone, hoping they all had their cases at hand already. No such luck. He walked silently into the break room.<p>

"Nice of you to join us, Nick", Grissom didn't even have to look up from his clipboard with open cases on to know it was Nick strolling in. Nick heard him but didn't reply. He noticed that two people were missing.

"Where's Warrick and Sara?" He hated to ask but he needed to know.

"It doesn't matter where they are. Why are you late? This keeps happening, Nick, except now, you're…" He checked his watch, "you're nearly two hours late. Catherine has been waiting here because she can't work this case alone and I have paper work to catch up on….Are you even listening to me?" Grissom raised his voice slightly, angry that Nick was clearly not paying attention.

"What?" Grissom glared at Nick.

"That's it. Go home, Nick."

"Go home? Are you serious? I'm sorry, okay? I slept through my alarm, I don't know what happened" What else was he going to say? "Look, Gris', I will make up the time, you can cut my pay or whatever but just don't send me home. I want to work."

Grissom sighed. The truth was, they were swamped with cases what with Warrick and Sara being away, "Nicky, if this ever and I mean EVER happens again, I will suspend you, without pay, for one week. Do I make myself clear?" Nick nodded as Grissom carried on, "I know you're worried about Sara as we all ar-"

"What? Worried?" Nick asked, confused, "Why would I be worried?"

"Well…we all know Sara was raped by Hank and-"

"'We _all_ know'? Excuse me?" Nick was getting angrier by the second at Grissom's passiveness on the subject, "Who the hell told you because I sure as hell didn't and I know Sara wouldn't so…?" He let the sentence trail off.

"Warrick told me so I obviously had to inform Jim-"

Greg piped up, "Yeah, we feel really bad for Sara, Nick"

"Shut up, Greg," He turned to Grissom again, "So you thought you'd just blurt out that she was raped in front of these guys?!" He gestured with his hands to Archie, Hodges, Greg and Catherine who had their eyes fixated on Nick, "You know what Grissom? You're an asshole! Do you really think Sara wants everyone to know she was raped?!"

"Nick-" Catherine tried to interject.

"Do you think she wants people to know that someone she thought she could trust again hurt her?! You guys don't even know how vulnerable she is and you just let her go off with Warrick without a second thought?!"

"Nick, Lis-"

"No, Cath, I'm not done yet. Sara is like a loose cannon just waiting to explode, okay? She's clearly not going to cope as a Mother, she can barely look after herself and she-"

"NICK!" Catherine shouted.

"What?!" Nick turned to Catherine except she wasn't looking at him. She was looking just over his shoulder, behind him. _Please, God, no._ Nick turned to find Warrick and Sara standing behind him, tears glistening in Sara's eyes.

"Please…carry on. Don't stop on my account…" She whispered, her voice shaking a little. Nick, in that moment, tried to replay and remember everything he had just been saying to see if he had said anything to upset her. Who was he kidding? Of course he had.

"Sar'…"

Sara found her voice, interrupting him, "Don't feel bad, Nick. You're right…" Nick kept his eyes on her, confused, "I _would_ have been a terrible Mother. It's a good thing I'm not a mother anymore, huh?…" The room immediately went silent. If anyone was breathing, Nick couldn't hear them. Hell, Nick could barely tell if _he_ was breathing let alone anybody else.

"…W-what…?" Nick looked from Sara to Warrick and back to Sara again.

"What? Doesn't news like that travel, too?" She scoffed, clearly holding back tears. Warrick looked down, feeling sad for his friend and brother. He didn't want him to find out this way…

"I'm not a mother anymore! Does that spell it out for you?" Nick's silence willed her to go on, "I got rid of it! As you said, I would never cope as a mother, I can barely look after myself, right?!" By this point, most of the crime lab was watching the scene unfolding. Sara didn't want to hear his explanations, truth is she just wanted to leave and never have to walk back in there again. She ran out in search of her car before anyone could ask her any questions or tell her how she was supposed to be feeling.

Warrick looked at Nick, "You know, you can be a real ass sometimes…" Nick just stood there bewildered and seemingly emotionless. He didn't even get a chance to reply because Warrick was already running down the hall of the crime lab hoping to catch up with Sara. Nick was his brother, yes, but Sara was like a sister to him and she sure as hell needed him more than Nick did right now. He knew Nick would be able to deal with this, it would take time but he would ultimately be okay. Sara…not so much. He knew about her drinking and outbursts, especially during certain cases. Sara had always found it difficult to cope with things, even though she would never admit it or ask for help. Well, Warrick had decided a long time ago that she didn't need to ask for help from him because he would always be there for her just as a brother should be.

Sara was about to hit the road when she heard a loud bang on the bonnet of her car. She looked up through her tear-stained eyes to find Warrick standing there with his hands on the car, "Don't do this, Sara! Get out the car!"

"Warrick, move or so help me God…" Sara's hands were firmly on the steering wheel, gripping it so tight she felt her bones would break.

"What? You're gonna run me over?! Sara, this isn't gonna make you feel better! Just get out the car and we can talk!"

"I don't want to talk, Warrick! Just MOVE!" The look on Sara's face showed Warrick that she clearly wasn't thinking straight and if he didn't move, there was going to be another set of paper work to add to Grissom's pile. Sara hit the gas with just enough time for Warrick to dive out of the way. Warrick, from where he was on the concrete saw her car speed off into the distance. He noted that she had turned left when he felt something on his head. He reached up and touched his forehead wincing. Blood. Warrick sighed and saw Greg running towards him.

"Warrick! Are you okay? Man, that looks bad, I'll get a nurse out here" Greg sounded panicky and Warrick couldn't help but smile.

"I'm fine, man. I just escaped a wild Sara…" He tried to make a joke but failed to see the funny side both of which Greg noticed.

"Warrick, she's going to be okay. I'll get Archie to track her car and this time, I won't tell anyone about it. Top secret!" Greg left before turning and adding, "I promise she'll be fine. She's stronger than she seems but you are no good to her if you're all beaten up. You need a nurse to check that over, okay?" Warrick sighed and nodded, knowing Greg was right. If he had any hope in finding Sara, he himself had to be well. Both men ran back into the crime lab, Warrick looking for the nurse and Greg on the hunt for Archie. One way or another, Sara would be okay. Warrick would make sure of it.


	14. Chapter 14

Sitting at the nurse's station in the crime lab, Warrick winced as she washed out the wound with a disinfecting solution. He hoped no one would come by and ask what happened otherwise that would be another 10 minutes spent on doing nothing when he could be with Greg and Archie looking for Sara. The nurse had just finished applying the butterfly stitches to Warrick's forehead when he saw Greg talking to Archie, probably informing him on what was happening. Warrick shot a 'thank you' to the Nurse and jogged to catch up with the two men.

"Hey, have you told him?" Warrick asked Greg. Archie nodded.

"Yes and I'm pretty sure I can help you, I'm just hoping Grissom doesn't see this," The trio rounded the corner to the A/V room where Archie was usually stationed.

"Forget Grissom, okay? This is more important," Warrick said, as politely as he could.

Archie nodded as they walked into the room, he kindly asked the other technicians to leave stating that Grissom had given him a special assignment that only very few could know about. Thankful for the break, they left without argument.

"Right…" Archie turned to the screen and typed in Sara's tracking number, looking at a sheet of paper attached to the wall behind the computer. It had the names and numbers of all the CSI's and anyone else with a company car.

"Look, if it helps, when she left the parking lot, she turned left and went straight down that road, I think," Warrick was desperately trying to search his brain and think of where her car had turned.

"It's fine, we'll find her," Archie paused, waiting for the server to load her current location. Puzzled, Greg spoke.

"What is she doing there?" The red dot on the screen was stationed in the middle of nowhere, just off the highway to Henderson.

"I don't know but I don't like the way this is going…" Warrick was confused. Why would she be in Henderson? Sara was the type of person to hit a bar when she wanted to escape, not drive for over an hour and then just stop.

"Warrick, we've got a problem…" Greg came back into the room, Warrick hadn't even noticed that he had left.

"Really? We've only _just_ got a problem now?" Warrick turned to face Greg, "What's wrong?"

Greg pulled his iPad up from his side in front of both Warrick and Archie, "I've been using my own iPad to track Sara's phone number an-"

"Wait, what? You know that's illegal, right?"

Greg nodded, "Yes, I do. Which is why you guys won't say anything, right?" Both men nodded and willed Greg to carry on, "Look, I'm not doing this for some sick pleasure, okay? Ever since I found out what happened, well, to be honest, I wanted to see if she had made any contact with Hank. I want that bastard to pay for what he did to our Sara. I kinda thought that if I tracked her phone, I would be able to find him."

Warrick interjected, "Nice one, Greg."

"Uh…but I found this…" Warrick and Archie looked at the smaller screen. There was a message to Hank from Sara.

**12/18/2014 Sent 12:05:****_ I'm pregnant. Meet me._**

Looking at the next message, Warrick was already fearing the worst…

**12/18/2014 Sent 12.06: ****_I'll be just off highway 93 near Henderson. MEET ME._**

"Please, tell me she hasn't…"

"Warrick, grab your car and go out there, I'll send the coordinates to you. There's no reply but if he has met her, then…" Greg let the sentence trail off, "I will inform Nick and get him to meet you and also tell Brass. If he's there, we're nailing him. He will _not_ be another asshole that got away, Warrick. We'll make sure of it!" Warrick nodded.

"Okay guys, thanks and Greg?" Greg turned, "_Never_ let Sara or Grissom know what you've been doing, okay?"

Greg smiled, "I don't have a death wish, don't worry…"

Archie looked up at him from where he was sitting, "I'm sure Grissom wouldn't kill you Greg."

"I don't think he's talking about Grissom," Archie couldn't help but laugh as Warrick left to the parking lot for his car. After getting the coordinates and texting them to Warrick, Greg urged Archie to close the program they were using to trace Sara's car.

"I'm gonna go and find Brass and Nick," Greg pulled out his cell phone from his pocket, "Here, if anything happens, call Warrick. Oh and take this…" Greg handed him his iPad, "If anyone contacts her, we'll know about it." Archie nodded. Greg left in search of Brass and explained the situation to him once they met. Of course, Brass didn't need any encouragement, Sara was like a daughter to him and he wanted Hank put away for as long as possible. Next on his list was Nick…he wasn't going to be as simple.


	15. Chapter 15

"Nick, calm down, okay?" Greg was frantically trying to calm Nick down, he hadn't even managed all of the story yet and was already grabbing his things from his locker to go find Sara. He watched Nick as he pulled something out of his locker, "Do you think that's wise?"

"Look, Greg, I know you're trying to help but you're not, alright? If he's out there…with her…I…No, I'm taking this. I'm not letting her get hurt anymore, you hear me?" Nick attached his gun to his belt. Usually, they would only take it for protection for a case. Well, Nick would argue that this _was_ protection. Protection for Sara.

Greg sighed, there was only so many times you could say things like this to Nick before all hell broke loose; it must have been the Texan in him. After all, they are about protecting the ones that they love; real family people. At least, that's what Greg had been told.

"I'm coming with you."

"Uh, no Greg, you're not. I need someone here to cover for us so Grissom doesn't get pissed. Please Greg…" Nick practically begged him and Greg couldn't say no. Truth was, he didn't even think he could be much help to them all.

"Okay, I'll stay but just…" Greg sighed, "Bring her home, Nick." Nick nodded sadly and left, pulling his car keys out of his jacket pocket. He saw Brass in the parking lot waiting by his car.

"Hey, Jim," Nick was about to get in the driver's seat when Brass shook his head.

"Nuh-uh, you're in the passenger's seat, okay? I have the coordinates and I know where we're going. I've pulled many speeders up that highway," Nick opened his mouth to protest, "Nick, we don't have time for this. I will drive because I need you to be on the look out. Anything weird or sus-"

Nick sighed, frustrated, "Yeah, yeah, I've got it," Nick was worried, it was clear for anybody with a single brain cell to see. Nevertheless, he jumped in the passenger's seat as Brass instructed.

* * *

><p>The drive to highway 93 felt like forever and Warrick was pretty sure he was already well over the speed limit. Not that there was anyone around to notice. He wasn't sure whether that was a blessing or a curse. According to Archie, Sara's vehicle was still in the same place it had been since the search had begun. She was either stationed or she had ditched it because she knew it could be traced, either way, it was clear that she did not want to be found. <em>Finally!<em> Highway 93 was up ahead and Warrick began to switch between driving and looking around for any tread marks or anything that could be evidence later.

The GPS that Warrick was using showed that driving for another 5 minutes or so should take him to where Sara's car was. He sighed, more often than not, living in the middle of a desert was a curse. He remembered the last time they were looking for her in the desert and shuddered. All this pain and heartache she'd been through, part of him was shocked she had survived this long. _Who am I kidding? _Sara's strong, that's _why_ she has survived this long. All she had to do was survive another 2 minutes and everything would be okay…Well, Warrick hoped it would.

Warrick checked the GPS quickly to make sure his location was correct and it was. He pulled the car over to find another car, a green Tahoe, parked just in front of him. He looked into the distance and saw Sara's Denali also parked, just where the coordinates had indicated. Walking forward and putting his sunglasses on, he pulled his gun out, aiming it with a firm grip. The more he walked, the more he was sure he could hear talking. No, _shouting_.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW _I _HAVE FELT SINCE YOU DID THIS TO ME?!" The shouting had eventually led Warrick into an abandoned building. It must have been abandoned for some time because he hadn't seen it on either of the maps he looked at in the search for Sara. Looking and aiming his gun to the left, he was thankful for the various holes and damage to the building. It enabled the light to get through meaning he didn't have to hold a torch as well as his gun. His eyes fell upon a figure on the ground…_Hank._

Hank's hands were handcuffed behind him around a pillar of the old, broken building. He was sitting on the ground without a single scratch on him. It baffled Warrick as to how Sara managed to handcuff him without him protesting but he decided he would question her later. His eyes travelled across the room to where Sara was standing with a…_No. _

"Sara, put the gun down!" Warrick shouted, Sara claimed to be a lot of things but there's no way in hell she was a killer.

"Do _you_ believe there's a murder gene, Warrick?" She didn't take her eyes off Hank and she must have been gripping the gun tight because her hands were shaking. Warrick was confused by the question but decided the more she was talking, the less she would be wanting to pull the trigger.

"No, Sara. No, I don't…"

"Really? Because I once asked Grissom that question. He couldn't give me a true answer either. He fed me some bullshit about how he didn't think violent behaviour was inherited and how we're not always a product of the world we grow up in"

"He's right…we're not. Not always," Warrick lowered his gun, deciding he would try to reason with her.

"He's right? If that's the case then why am I a murderer?" Sara's eyes were brimming with tears. Her eyes were still focused on Hank and Warrick questioned why Hank was quiet at this point. Regret, maybe?

"A murderer? You haven't murdered anyo-" It clicked what Sara meant.

"It's okay, you can say it, Warrick. I murdered my baby," She took two steps forward, "DO YOU HEAR THAT, HANK?! THERE _IS_ NO BABY. Not anymore, anyway…" Her voice lowered at the last part and the tears finally fell.

Hank found his voice, "Sara, I was drunk okay!? This is ridiculous! Just let me go and-"

"LET YOU GO?!" Sara laughed a laugh that turned even Warrick's stomach, "Let you go?! Like you let _me_ go?! FUCK YOU!" She screamed and took brisk walks up to him, kneeling down and pushing the gun to his temple. Warrick jogged up to her as soon as he realised what she was doing.

"Sara! STOP!" Truth was, Warrick was a little scared that this may not be an empty threat from Sara. He could hear a car in the distance and prayed it was one of their own and not a cop coming to see what all the commotion was about.

"You will _Never_ let me go! Not in here," Sara pointed to her head with the gun and then immediately put it to the right side of his forehead again. Her hands were still shaking and Warrick wasn't sure how long this could go on for before she snapped. Warrick was right beside her and was about to attempt to talk her down again when someone spoke.

"Sar'…" Sara immediately turned to face the voice, knowing who it was. He was standing there with Jim, pointing his gun at Hank even though in any other case, it should have been Sara.

"Nicky…" More tears fell. She didn't want Nick to see her like this and she was still hurt from what he had said before. _Stop!_ She didn't have time to think about that right now, she had to focus. He needed to die.

Sara turned to face Hank again, taking two steps backwards and aiming at the centre of his head as before, "I'm sorry." She pulled the trigger.

"NO!" Nick shouted and dove towards Sara, landing on top of her. Warrick jumped at the gunshot, not expecting Sara to pull the trigger, as Jim immediately ran over to Hank, still aiming his gun. Jim saw Sara's purse to the right of the building and put his hand inside, searching for a key. Warrick was more focused on Sara and Nick.

"Sar'?" Nick moved off of her as quickly as possible and reached out for her gun, standing and holding it with her, aiming it at himself. Aside from a small graze on her slender arm, she was unharmed and stood immediately.

"If you wanna kill someone, kill me, Sara," Nick was holding back tears as best as he could seeing her like this, "Do NOT kill him, Sara, he's not worth it, okay?"

At that, Sara broke down letting go of the gun and collapsing with just enough time for Warrick to catch her. Nick was busy kicking the gun away from her grasp when he saw her in the arms of Warrick. There it was again…_jealousy. _

Brass had located the key and freed Hank from the confines of the handcuffs only to put his own set on, "Hank Pettigrew, I'm arresti-"

Hank interrupted him, "It's fine…I know. I'll go willingly…" Brass was confused but he led him to the car where he called the whole thing in. It was safe to say Grissom was not happy.

Looking up from where he was holding Sara and trying to calm her, he saw Nick biting his lower lip, his lip quivering. Warrick motioned for Nick to come towards them from behind Sara's back. Nick complied.

"Here…" Warrick peeled Sara away from him and handed her gently to Nick, "This is your job." Warrick smiled as Nick stood there holding Sara. She was holding onto him for dear life and his arms were firmly around her small body. Warrick picked up her gun and her purse and went outside to hand both items to Brass.

Sara's sobbing broke Nick's heart and he felt useless because all he could do was hold her and shush her, telling her everything was going to be okay. It was a lie, they both knew that. Nick decided that maybe the silence was bliss for once. No arguments. No anger. No hurt. Nothing. Just her body against his was enough. They stood there, silent tears falling, no words needing to be said. After all, love was a feeling, not an action.


	16. Chapter 16

After the incident in Henderson, Brass persuaded Nick to let Sara talk to him. _I'll look after her, I promise _he remembered him saying. Though he was reluctant, it needed to be done because regardless of the circumstances, Sara still almost murdered someone. Brass took Hank in his car back to the Crime Lab in cuffs while Nick drove Warrick's car and Warrick took Sara in Sara's car. Nick just couldn't face being in her car right now and so opted to drive Warrick's. The drive back to the lab was silent. Sara was crying silent tears and Brass decided he would leave her to it.

Once at the crime lab, Brass called for someone toe Hank's car to the garage and began to question Sara gently as protocol said he should.

* * *

><p>Nick, some time later, found himself turning and driving back to the scene. He found himself back inside the derelict building standing and staring at the bullet that had entered the back of the wall directly behind where Hank was sitting. Two more inches to the left and that bullet would have killed him. If Nick was honest with himself, he couldn't deny that that would not have been a bad thing but in the grand scheme of things, it would have been the worst case scenario no matter how much he hated to admit it. Yes, Hank deserved to die but Sara didn't deserve spending the rest of her life locked up in some jail cell; she had been locked up enough in his opinion. A voice shook him out of his thoughts.<p>

"She didn't do it," Warrick's voice spoke softly.

Nick replied, ignoring him and not taking his eyes off where he was looking previously, "How'd you know I was here?"

"I saw you make the second turn off the highway and I knew somehow you'd end up back here," Warrick stepped forward, repeating what he said before, "She didn't do it, man."

At this point, Nick shuffled on the spot and turned to face him, "No, she did, Warrick…She did but I managed to stop her. She could have ended up shooting herself or me or…him," He swallowed, "She could have ended up where that piece of shit should be and she didn't even have a second thought about it!"

"That's a helluva lot of 'could haves'," Warrick placed a hand on Nick's shoulder, "Nick, go to the crime lab, go home, punch a wall, I don't care just don't…Don't punish yourself by thinking about what could have happened when it didn't. It's over."

Nick sighed, letting Warrick's hand fall when he began to walk past him to his car, "Yeah…Yeah, it _is_ over," With that, Nick drove off leaving a bewildered Warrick.

* * *

><p>Somehow there were whispers around the crime lab about what had happened but no one knew the real truth except the five of them and they weren't willing to broadcast it anytime soon. After their talk, Brass let Sara go after Hank dropped any charges. He accepted his arrest and compromised for less time inside in exchange for dropping the charges. He admitted everything stating that when he was drunk, he didn't know what he was doing. He immediately regretted it in the morning which, he said, was why he left without a trace.<p>

It turns out his Father _did_ know where he was. In fact, he had given Hank an address for a place to live in which no one would guess he was there. According to Hank, this was because his Father wanted to make amends for the past, whatever that meant.

After her conversation with Brass, Sara decided to drive home replaying everything over and over in her head. Why did this have to happen? Why did he rape her? Why did she have an abortion? _No_. She couldn't ponder that now, she had to go home. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and never wake up. She couldn't face seeing everyone at work again. Brass had spoken to Grissom and persuaded him to force her to take her vacation time. For once, Sara was grateful for the time, it meant she could just lay in bed and not have to face everyone. Especially Nick.

_Nicky._ She remembered the way she spoke his name the night they spent together and tried to shake the thoughts. She remembered him telling her he'd be there for her no matter what; he would look after her, just like he had always done.

Well, now she had ruined everything. She should never have got him involved in all of this! Her grip on the steering wheel tightened and she sped up, just wanting to get home.

* * *

><p>Nick walked into the locker room to find Warrick with his locker open, putting his vest and gun away. When Warrick saw him and noticed he didn't say hello, he decided maybe he should make the first move.<p>

"Hey, you okay?" _Stupid question, Warrick_.

"Peachy," Nick's mumbled reply was what Warrick expected. His sarcasm, was not. Nick didn't even look at Warrick when he spoke, he just mimicked his motions by putting his work attire back into his locker, including his gun. Usually, Nick would take it home and keep it in a safe in his bedside table but he just couldn't face looking at the damn thing.

From the corner of his eye, Nick saw Warrick open another locker, looking at a price of paper and moving the dials on the combination lock. _Sara's locker_. Nick turned to face Warrick as he put another vest and gun in the long locker.

"What're you doing?" Nick already knew the answer but felt he needed clarification.

"Sara, asked me to put her things away. She gave me the combination and said she was taking some time off," Warrick closed the locker and placed the paper in his denim pocket, making a mental note it was in there in case Sara needed anything later on.

Nick cocked his head to one side and folded his arms, slamming his locker shut, "Sara's always asking you to do things, isn't she?"

Warrick sighed, shaking his head, "Y'know, I'm beginning to get a little tired of your not so subtle accusations. What're you trying to imply?" When Nick didn't reply he walked forward, "Come on, tell me!"

"Just leave it!" Nick shoved Warrick as he walked past him, feeling betrayed. With a shake of his head, Warrick walked up to Nick, pulling him back to face him when he was met with Nick's fist hitting him square in the jaw. Warrick ignored the pain and grabbed Nick by his shirt, pushing him against the locker's and hearing Nick's back hit them with a thud. Before Warrick could say anything, Grissom walked in.

"What the hell is going on here?" Warrick let go of Nick's shirt and wiped the blood from his lip with his hand.

"Nothing, Griss', just talkin'," Nick stood, straightening out his shirt. He was hoping to catch up with Sara before his next shift and began to walk towards the door.

"Not so fast, Nick," Grissom turned, "There's a 419 in Henderson." Nick and Warrick both cringed even hearing the word 'Henderson', knowing what had happened there.

"Get 'Rick to take it, I'm goin' home."

Warrick wiped the blood from his lip again, knowing what was coming, "Warrick has to go over to Sara's, he is running an errand for Brass or something."

Nick scoffed and threw Warrick a look, "Ah, Warrick; always the saint!" He smiled bitterly and snatched the piece of paper from Grissom's hand. Nick left and left a confused Grissom behind.

"What happened?" Grissom asked, puzzled. Clearly being oblivious was something he was a grade A student in.

"Damned if I know," Warrick left before he was questioned any further.


	17. Chapter 17

It was almost christmas and Sara couldn't believe this was how she was spending the last few weeks of the year; upset and heartbroken. Granted, christmas wasn't a happy time for her in general but this year, she had promised herself that she would make this year count, _a year to remember_ as her Mother used to say. But her Mother wasn't around and once she left, she had no one. That's when she knew she would work hard at school. Failing wasn't an option. She wanted to make something of her life and not turn out like her Mother or Father. Sadly, she was a product of both, she had her Mother's alcohol issues mixed with her Father's temper. Both of which were a deadly combination because it caused her to act irrationally and without a second of thought…

_…_Like today.

_I killed my baby. _This wasn't how it was supposed to be. From a young age, Sara never wanted to be a Mother but she swore to herself that if she ever fell pregnant, she wouldn't have an abortion. She remembered her Mother having them like it was a form of contraception and even though she was young, it pained her to know that so many lives were killed as a result of a destructive couple and poor judgment.

Her grip tightened on the bottle of beer in her hand._ I killed my baby._ She remembered when she found out she was pregnant. She had just finished a case with Nick and Warrick but they didn't have enough evidence to nail the guy that did it. He had stalked, raped, tortured and murdered seven women and he was still laughing in her face because she _still_ couldn't get together enough evidence. In the circumstances, it hit home more than most and she remembered Nick telling her that the guy would eventually get what was coming to him and how he was a strong believer in Karma. _Maybe this is my Karma. _

_I killed my baby. _It just kept going around and around in her head and no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't leave. She remembered buying a pregnancy test, hoping her body was deceiving her. Of course, Sara Sidle had no such luck and when the test came back positive, she immediately ran out and bought four more, each coming back positive. She couldn't believe it. Even when she spoke to her Doctor and he confirmed it she still didn't think it could be true. After all, she couldn't be having a rapist's baby…could she?

_I KILLED MY BABY! _At that moment, she threw the bottle of beer at the wall in front of her, half crying, half screaming. _Why did Hank have to do this? Why did he have to fuck with my brain? Why did he have to give me a child!? _She wanted to just run…run and never come back. She couldn't take it anymore.

She ran down the hall to her bedroom, pulling out a navy blue Nike gym bag. She grabbed any clothes she could find; shoes, jeans, pants, pyjamas, tops…she was taking as much as she could fit inside the bag. Next she moved to her bedside table, kneeling and exploring the drawer for her passport. _Come on, where are you?! _Her impatience was growing until she felt something. A ring._ A ring?_ Sara didn't have much jewellery but the little amount she did have was in a jewellery box in her safe, which was on the opposite side of the room. She pulled the offending object out. _No._

Her eyes looked down. It was a very heavy, silver ring, way too big for her slender fingers. But it looked very familiar. She twisted and turned it in her fingers, seeing if there was any engravings or etchings on the large band when it dawned on her where she'd seen the object before. _Nick's college ring_. Without even thinking she placed it on the middle finger of her left hand and wondered why it was in her possession. She knew she should send it back to him but somehow she knew that wasn't going to happen. If she was really going to do this, if she was really going to leave she needed to take something of him with her. Somehow the memory of him was not enough. Sighing, she carried on rummaging through the drawer smiling sadly at how it got this messy. It was filled with letters from Grissom and her Mother, a few pens and a notepad, some envelopes, half a packet of gum and other little trinkets that she had planned to throw away but never got round to it and a…She'd forgotten she put this in here…

…Her first pregnancy test. Instinctively, as soon as she picked it up she dropped it like it was burning through her skin. It was another memory of something she had ultimately failed in life and yet she'd kept it for over two months. Even now, in her pain, in her sorrow, in her agony, she still bring herself to part with the white stick. Taking a deep breath, she picked it up and reached up to where the bed was, lifting herself up from where she was kneeling and placed it carefully into a side pocket of the bag. She closed the zipper and bit her lip trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall again. She couldn't cry now, she had to focus. There would be plenty of time to cry later.

She knelt down once again but this time pulled out the drawer, placing it on the floor beside her and looking through the treasures with both hands when she spotted it. Her passport. Placing that in the bag, she threw it over her shoulder and went in search of her purse with her car keys, cell phone and bank cards in. She placed both bags on the couch and unlocked her phone about to call for a cab when she saw the screen.

**_11 missed calls. 7 messages._**

Her phone had been on silent but even if she had heard it, she would not have answered. Curiosity got the better of her and found herself checking the call log first. There were eight missed calls from Warrick and three from Brass. She felt her stomach tighten. The name she was expecting to see wasn't there. No, the name she _wanted_ to see wasn't there.

She checked her messages next. There were a total of four texts from Brass and Warrick, most telling her to call them and how they were worried about her. But there was another three.

**NICK STOKES 12/18/2014 Received 20:17pm: _I'd call but I'm currently working a case. I want to see you, Sara but I don't think I can face you right now. I think Warrick's on his way anyhow. I don't know what to say to you._**

She knew she had another text message waiting but she couldn't help but re-read it over and over. _I don't think I can face you right now. _That made her an unhealthy mixture of upset and angry. What the hell gave him the right to say that? Surely it should have been her saying that to him! After all, he was the one who was talking about her in front of everyone, saying she wouldn't be able to cope and how…_he was right. _She didn't cope. She coped by deleting the challenge instead of rising to it. She stopped the thoughts before they went too far again and opened the next message.

**NICK STOKES 12/18/2014 Received 20:21pm: No, I DO know what to say to you. _Sara, you fucking scared me earlier! I know I've been an ass to you but what you did, did you even think about me!? About us?! I poured my heart out to you and I thought you cared, I thought we had something. I thought you understood I would have been there for you and the baby but now I wonder why I even bothered!_**

Sara swallowed the lump in her throat and felt herself crying. He was right again, she'd ruined everything just like she always did. Failure ran in her family, you'd think she'd be used to it by now. The tears kept falling, one after the other and this time, she didn't stop them. She opened the final message reluctantly.

** NICK STOKES 12/18/2014 Received 20:23pm: _Honey, I didn't mean that. I didn't mean any of it. Sara, when you were pointing that gun at me, I knew you wanted to pull the trigger. You didn't care as long as someone was suffering like you were and I understand but you scared me. What I feel for you, Sara, it scares me. I need to see you. I'm passing this case off to Greg. _**

_I'm passing this case off to Greg. _No. He wouldn't come here, would he? She sniffed, choking back tears and stuffed the cell phone back into the purse, placing the purse into the larger bag. She needed to get out before anyone could stop her and if anyone had the power to, it was Nick. Beautiful Nick…

"Sara?!" She jumped as she heard her name being called from the other side of the door, "Sara, I know you're in there! Please, I'm worried about you!" _Warrick._

"Warrick, please…" Her voice broke as she called out to him, "Leave me alone!"

"Sara, I'm not going anywhere until you open this door!" He was adamant and this was Warrick Brown, he wasn't going to give up that easily. She quickly wiped her eyes and walked over to the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened it.

Warrick knew Sara was hurting but when he saw her, she looked frail and lost. Heartbroken, even. He didn't say anything he just took two steps forward and wrapped his arms around her and that was it; she broke down crying in his arms, shaking with her tears.

"Sara…Shh…" He whispered softly, "I'm here…"

"Me too." Warrick jumped and it was only then he felt a presence behind him. He let go of Sara and turned.

She voice was barely above a whisper when she looked up, "Nicky…" Nick rushed towards her and held her. He held her tighter than he probably should have. He let her cry. He let her break down in his arms and in that moment, he knew he loved her. Happy or sad. Broken or whole. He loved Sara and he was willing to do anything to prove it.

Warrick was the first to speak, "I'm going to give you guys some time alone." The truth was, he was struggling himself. Seeing so much love between the two CSIs and yet so much pain hurt him. If anyone deserved happiness, it was him.

Sara moved herself from Nick and nodded, trying to control her shakiness. Nick took her hand but turned to face Warrick, "'Rick…I'm uh…I'm sorry about be—"

Warrick cut him off, "Don't be. Just look after my girl, okay?" Nick nodded.

He whispered, stroking Sara's hand with his thumb, "I'm never going to stop looking after her, Warrick," At that, Warrick smiled and knew Nick was telling the truth. Sara would be safe. Sara would be cared for. But most of all, Sara would be happy. He smiled again and left, closing the door behind him.

Nick wrapped his arms around Sara again and noticed the bag on the sofa behind her. He wanted to ask her what was going on but decided that if she was going to leave, she would have left by now. He wasn't going to let her slip away from him, not again.

Not ever.


	18. Chapter 18

Nick held Sara until her sobbing subsided. Once she'd composed herself, she went into Sara mode again and left to go to the kitchen. Nick followed her and watched as she began to make herself and Nick some coffee, knowing she probably shouldn't be drinking it but not caring in the slightest. _It's not like I'm pregnant._ She laughed coldly and Nick threw her a look. She shook her head and finished making the coffee, handing a blue cup to Nick.

Without saying anything, she sat on the sofa focusing her eyes on the steam of the coffee she was holding. He could see she was in pain, that much was clear, but he didn't know what to say to her. Nothing would make this feeling better. Nothing.

"Will you stay with me when…" she swallowed, "When it happens…" She let the sentence trail off, not wanting to fully emphasise what she meant.

Her voice was so small, it broke Nick's heart. He immediately sat next to her and held her, knowing fully what she was talking about, "Honey, I am never leaving you. You hear me, Sar'?" He kissed her forehead, "Never." His voice broke on the last word and she noticed. Looking up, she kissed his tears, one by one, holding his face in her hands.

"Don't cry, Nicky," She whispered. It should be him worrying about her and here she is, being typical Sara and thinking of others before herself. He turned away, not wanting her to see him crying any longer than she had to and happened to see the glass all over the wooden flooring. It was clear that she'd thrown it at the wall and in that moment, Nick felt like the dumbest person in the world. _She regrets it._

He turned to face her again, not caring anymore if he looked weak or upset. He took a deep breath, willing his voice to carry the sentence all the way through and spoke, "You regret it, don't you?"

_Yes. _Sara swallowed the lump in her throat at how well he could read her. She too looked over at the shattered glass and the liquid stain on the wall and it hit her, "I murdered my baby, Nicky…" She broke down again and those five words told Nick all he needed to know.

"Sweetheart, listen to me, okay?" He sniffed, resting his head against hers, "We're gonna get through this. We're gonna get through this together." She cried and cried and then cried some more and all Nick could do was hold her. He was holding her so tight, he was afraid he'd break her. But she was broken enough right now, Nick had to put all his focus into putting the pieces back together and that was a promise he was willing to make.

He stood and held his hand out for her to take, she looked up through her eyelashes at him and took his hand, wondering what he was doing. When he felt her hand upon his, he walked her down the hall to her bedroom. He opened the bed sheet and carefully sat her down, taking off her shoes while she watched him. He gave her the smallest of smiles and lifted her legs, placing them in the bed and covering her with the covers. Walking to the other side of the bed, his kicked his own shoes off and climbed in the bed with her, wrapping his arms around her.

"You can cry Sar'," He kissed her head again, "I will always be here to wipe your tears," He whispered in the moonlit room. She rested her head on his chest and did just that; she cried, this time not caring how loud she was or how pathetic she sounded. Nick cried too, silently though so she wouldn't be concerned and begin to worry about him again.

Nick could feel Sara's breathing on his chest, heavier and deeper sounding than it was previously. _She's asleep._ He was happy about that and prayed she was dreaming of something beautiful and not having nightmares about what had happened. Knowing Sara was safe in his arms, he allowed sleep to overtake him.

He didn't care what it took or how long it took, he would love Sara back to life.


	19. Chapter 19

When Nick woke the next morning, Sara wasn't beside him in the bed. Confused, he thought she'd be in the bathroom adjacent to her bedroom but the door was wide open and he knew she wouldn't be in there. Standing, he walked into the lounge and saw Sara sitting there on the sofa, staring at the table in front of her. He quietly walked over to her and sat down next to her, grasping her hand gently.

"Sar'?" His voice came out as a whisper. She didn't look like she was listening to him, so he squeezed her hand softly, "Honey?"

At that, she turned to face him with pink, tear stained eyes. She smiled at him despite how she was feeling and moved her eyes to where she was staring before. Nick followed her gaze and noticed she was looking at a small pill bottle with a single pill inside. It was clear what the pill was for but nevertheless, he picked it up.

"What're you doing?" She watched as he put the bottle in his jean pocket.

"You can't stare at this all mornin', honey," She swallowed back tears and he stroked her cheek, "I'll give it to you when…" He couldn't form the words.

"I'm scared, Nicky…" He knew how much courage it probably took her to admit that.

"I know, Sar' but I'm not going anywhere," His thumb stroked her hand absentmindedly, trying to soothe her. She immediately let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest and letting her tears fall for what felt like the hundredth time. He was surprised by her swift movement but held her tight and allowed her to cry.

Only a few minutes had passed before he felt her move and stand up, "I want to go to work."

"Sar', you can't work, okay? You need to rest and—"

"I'm gonna be doing enough resting when…" She couldn't finish the sentence, "I'm working, Nick. You can either come with me or you can stay here."

Nick sighed knowing that he didn't want to argue with her again and make her even more upset than she already clearly was. He reluctantly nodded, "Okay," he stood and walked over to where she stood, "But I want you to stay with me." She nodded and gave him a small smile for not stopping her from leaving the house.

Sara moved to her bedroom where she freshened up and changed her clothes, while Nick quickly poured her a glass of water and handed it to her when she entered the room again a few minutes later. She smiled again, drinking the glass of water and placing the glass on the kitchen counter. He ran to the bedroom and put his shoes on, coming back only a short moment later.

Nick turned to her, "Are you honestly sure you want to go in?" She nodded and he sighed, praying it was the correct decision.

* * *

><p>Grissom was sitting in his office, filling various forms out when he heard a quiet knock on his door. Looking up, he saw Sara and Nick standing there together. He gestured for them to enter and allowed them to sit down in the two seats opposite him before he spoke.<p>

"Sara, Nick, what can I do for you?" _Are you kidding me, Grissom?_ Nick wanted to punch Grissom for how matter-of-fact he sounded and felt himself gripping the arm of the chair he was sitting in. Sara sensed his anger and spoke.

"I want to work, Grissom," Grissom removed his glasses, rubbing his temples and giving her a somewhat exasperated look. He could see the glint of anger on Nick's face and spoke his next words carefully.

"Sara, in your current condition, you cannot work in the field. I'm sorry but I will not allow it," he heard her sigh but carried on, "However, if you want something to occupy your mind, there's a pile of cases that need to be sorted and filed," He gestured to the pile on the side of his desk. "The rest of the team aren't in until later but feel free to leave whenever you want to."

"Um…can Nick leave too?"

"Yes, of course. Take the next couple of days off but Nick, keep your phone on. I'll call if we need you." _Maybe he's not so clueless about people, after all._ Nick nodded at Grissom in appreciation.

"Thank you," Sara smiled sweetly and stood with Nick to leave. He grabbed the stack of papers on Grissom's desk and turned with Sara, following her to the break room.

Over two hours had passed and Sara and Nick hadn't said one word to each other. Nick didn't know what to say to her and he didn't try to talk to her for fear of Sara breaking down again. Together they just carried on filing, each doing their own thing. He did notice one thing, though, Sara kept glancing at the clock every half an hour or so, not that she needed to, Nick was keeping his eye on the time just as much as if not more than her.

He knew the next few days would be the worst days of both their lives and Nick would have traded anything in the world to not see her in pain. He was about to file the next few pieces of paper away when Warrick walked in. Sara either didn't hear him enter or didn't care enough to look up.

"Sar', I'll be back soon, okay?" She didn't reply, instead she looked at the clock again and nodded once. Warrick followed Nick outside and they both walked down the hall a few yards so she wouldn't be able to hear them talk.

"How you holding up?" Warrick was worried about his best friends and hadn't stopped thinking about the situation all night.

"It's not me you should be worried about, 'Rick," he replied sadly, "Did you go with her?"

Warrick nodded, "Yeah…Look, I'm sorry I didn't call you or tel—"

"Don't apologise. Don't ever apologise for being there for Sara. I appreciate everything you've done for her, Warrick," Warrick shrugged it off and was surprised when Nick pulled him into a hug.

"Hey, man, don't go soft on me," he said, releasing Nick and trying to lighten the mood, "Just look after her and make sure she's okay when…when it happens." Warrick swallowed. The full extent as to what was about to happen to Sara hit him and he was struggling to keep it together. Nick nodded and both CSIs went back into the room with Sara, who had finished all of the filing while they were away.

"Been busy, Sunshine?" Nick was worried at how normal it sounded to call her that and didn't want Sara to think he was being insensitive. His doubts were cast aside though when she replied.

"You're just too slow, Cowboy," She smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back at her, wishing he would be able to make her smile like that throughout the next week or so at least.

Warrick smiled sadly watching the banter between the two CSIs and was somewhat happy when Grissom entered the room holding the assignment slips.

"Hello, Warrick," he turned to Nick and Sara, "Thank you both for doing that for me. You're free to go if you would like to." They both nodded and put their jackets on. Sara was a bit more hesitant than Nick and it was clear that she would have preferred to work some more but surprisingly, she didn't argue. After saying their goodbyes, Nick and Sara both left, making their way back to Sara's apartment.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: This chapter will have mentions of miscarriage, blood and pain. Just a warning for you guys, if you were to skip this chapter, you won't miss much. Also, I know it takes at least 4 hours for the pill to work but for the purpose of the story, I'm going to speed it along a little. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

The drive back to Sara's apartment was quiet and Nick was beginning to feel anxious about what what going to happen soon. Throughout the drive, he'd opened his mouth to speak to her as an attempt to break the silence in the car but then he'd stopped himself, not wanting to upset her or seem as though he was insensitive to what she was going through. He tried not to think about what was going to happen over the next day or so but his leg was practically burning from the pill bottle in his pocket. He sighed out loud without thinking.

"Are you okay?" _Am I okay? It should be me asking you._

"I'm fine, Sar'," He smiled and gently squeezed her hand, letting her know he was okay. Of course, Sara knew he was lying and was just as worried about what she was about to go through as he was. She wanted to ask him what was going to happen. Maybe it was for reassurance or maybe she just wanted him to tell her that having an abortion is not like she'd heard and it only hurts for a second. It was her turn to sigh now and she was surprised when he squeezed her hand again, letting her know he was there for her.

Nick pulled into Sara's drive and they both made their way inside, Sara making easy work of the keys in a haste to get inside where she was safest. Well, most of the time. Nick opened his mouth to say something but Sara was already in the kitchen fixing herself a glass of water. It was time.

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, he couldn't help it. It was the only way he knew how to make his presence known to her without the awkward and pointless talks. He was happy when she wrapped her arms around him, returning the hug with just as much love and affection. She was the first to pull away as she reached into his pocket, removing the small pill box.

He watched as she took a deep breath and opened the box, holding the pill between her fingers for a second before she looked up at him, "I can't do it, Nicky." Her breathing began to quicken as she looked up at him with pained eyes, "I can't—"

"Sar', Honey, listen to me," He held both her hands as she held the small pill, "You can do this, okay? You're the strongest person I know. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." He tried to reassure her and kissed the top of her head when she nodded.

Licking her lips, she turned to the glass of water on the counter and picked it up, putting the pill in her mouth and drinking the water before she could change her mind. He hadn't realised she was shaking until he saw the water moving erratically. He gently took the glass from her, placing it back on the counter and wrapping his arms around her once again. She closed her eyes, holding him, never wanting him to let her go.

"Nicky?" She looked up at him, not caring that she was visibly crying.

"Hmm?" He found himself holding back tears but didn't look at her incase it upset her even more. She gently used her fingers to pull his face up to look at her and he was surprised when he felt her lips upon his. He returned the kiss but pulled away when she tried to deepen it, shaking his head.

"Sar'…" She bit her lip and nodded, understanding Nick's hidden warning.

"Do you hate me?" She asked him in a quiet voice.

"What? Sar', why would I hate you?"

"Because I went to the clinic with Warrick and not you and then I had an abortion in the first place and now you have to sit with me while it happens and—" He placed a finger over her lips, giving her a small smile. She blushed as she realised she was rambling.

"I could never hate you, Sar' and I don't _have_ to sit with you. I want to because I—" He cut himself off and changed his words remembering what happened the last time he said he loved her, "I care about you."

She smiled, "Thank you."

"Besides, what else am I going to do?" He said, trying to lighten the mood. It was weird how they were just talking as normal but Nick didn't say anything because if he was honest with himself, he liked it.

She looked down, "I thought you'd be seeing Alana." The truth was, Nick had forgotten all about Alana and how he was supposed to meet her earlier today but somehow he didn't care. Sara was his priority. Sara had always been his priority deep down, he was just too blind to see it at the time.

He shook his head and lied, "No, not today."

She nodded, "Do you feel like watching a movie?" It was out of the blue but he nodded, wanting anything to take her mind off the miscarriage she would have to face soon. She asked him which movie he would prefer but he told her to choose and couldn't help but smile when she came back with _How The Grinch Stole Christmas_.

"Very festive, Sar'," She grinned in appreciation and Nick remembered just how much he loved to see her smile. She put the disk in the DVD player and Nick wrapped an arm around her as they watched the movie, not mentioning the elephant in the room as time passed.

From time to time, Nick found himself glancing at the clock on the DVD player, preparing himself. He made a conscious decision to stop doing it though incase Sara noticed and began to do the same. Instead, he held her closer and began to trace small patterns on her arm and hand, smiling when he felt her relax against him.

* * *

><p>The movie ended and Nick looked down to find Sara had fallen asleep on his chest, which was understandable considering how much sleep she had probably had these past few days. He stood slowly, careful not to wake her and lifted her up, taking her to her room where he placed her on top of her bed. She stirred a little but stayed asleep, which he was grateful for.<p>

He opened the door to her en suite and closed it behind him, deciding he would run her a bath for when she woke up. He put the plug in the plughole and began to run the water, checking the temperature from time to time, making sure it wasn't too hot or too cold. He noticed some lavender shower gel and opened it, squeezing a small amount of the purple liquid into the bath and allowing bubbles to form.

As the water was running, he quickly poked his head around the door and checked on Sara. She was still sleeping but had turned in her sleep, facing away from the door. Nick closed the door once again and checked his phone. Nothing. He was happy about that because it meant he didn't have to go into work, not that he would have even if he was called. The only person who needed him right now was Sara.

Nick couldn't help but check on her again before turning the water off and walking over to her sleeping form to wake her, "Sara?" he whispered. She started to stir in her sleep and then woke up, looking up at him.

"Sorry, I fell asleep."

"I ran you a bath," He smiled and was rewarded with a small smile back. She sat up, seeing the light on in her bathroom and stood.

"Thank you," She smiled again at him but didn't move. She was too busy looking at him wondering what was going through his head.

"I uh…I'll stay here while you have a bath and then after I'll make you some food. Okay?" She nodded.

"Thank you," He rolled his eyes.

"Stop thanking me, Sar'," He laughed quietly while she moved to the bathroom and went to have her bath. The door closed behind her but she didn't lock it. He couldn't say he was surprised, he knew she trusted him and it was one of his favourite things about their relationship. They could tell each other anything or do almost anything and not have the other person judge them or hate them for it. That was part of the reason he loved her.

Standing, he noticed a science journal on her bedside table and mentally laughed at how worn it looked. She must have read it when she couldn't sleep because it was creased and a little torn on some of the pages. He noticed that the corner of a page was turned over. Going to the page, he looked at the article that was marked; _Could Anger Be a Hereditary Trait? _This confused him. Nick knew Sara probably hadn't had the best childhood considering her reaction to certain cases but he had always found her passion somewhat endearing. It made him work harder on cases to put the bad people behind bars and have justice for those that needed it. People like Sara.

_Is that the reason she…?_ Nick swallowed and didn't allow himself to read too much into it. _Surely she wouldn't have an abortion because she was scared of being angry? _Things were slowly becoming clearer in his mind and no matter what he did, he needed to tell Sara she wouldn't have been a bad mother. In fact, if anything, Sara would have been a wonderful mother. He stopped pondering and put the journal in the trashcan on the opposite side of the room. There was no way he was going to let Sara keep reading that article and allowing herself to believe she would be a bad mother.

"NICK!" He was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard Sara scream his name from where she was in the bathroom. Without a second thought he ran to the bathroom and saw her stood with her feet in the water, crouching over in pain and holding her stomach.

_No. No, no, no, no!_

He knew it was coming but he wasn't expecting to see her in this much pain, no matter how much he tried to prepare for it.

"Sar', Honey," He was panicking but tried to talk calmly for her sake, "I'm here, Sar', I'm here." She almost threw herself back down in the bath, as she crouched forward, clutching her stomach tightly.

"_Nicky_…" She was crying and he felt her hand gripping his arm and squeezing it hard from where he was kneeling outside the bathtub. He leant against it and grabbed her hand where it was on his arm, holding it and running his finger over her soft skin, trying to soothe her.

"I know, Honey, I know," He felt his breath hitch in his throat when he saw the water turning a sickening shade of pink and then red. _Blood_. He watched as she noticed too and her sobs began to get louder and more uncontrollable. He didn't know what to do but he couldn't just let her suffer alone. The water was turning redder and redder by the second and Nick scooted forward, pulling her head to his chest in order to shield her from seeing it.

"Nicky, don't leave me," She was now leaning against the side of the bathtub, holding onto Nick's shirt tightly, "Please, don't leave me._ Nuughhh_…" She gasped and crouched over in pain again and he wrapped his arms around her, praying that the water was somewhat numbing the pain a little.

"I'm here, Honey, I'm not goin' anywhere," His accent was thicker than usual and he found himself crying freely. He couldn't help it. He was seeing the woman he loved going through the worst pain anyone could go through and all he could do was watch. He felt useless.

Her breathing slowly began to slow down but her tears didn't and neither did Nick's. He brushed a few stray hairs of hers behind her ears and kissed her forehead, "Sar', I love you, I'm not leaving you," he swallowed a tear away, whispering into her neck and stroking her hair. Her cramps were beginning to subside but she didn't move and he didn't force her to either. They sat like that, silently crying and holding each other tight.

* * *

><p>Around thirty minutes later, Nick moved, noticing Sara had fallen asleep on his chest. He gently woke her up, pulling the plug of the bathtub and allowing the water to disappear down the plughole. He would have been lying if he said he wasn't happy to see the water wash away. He moved from Sara and took the shower head, turning the water on and making sure it was warm. Sara smiled sadly as he allowed the water to wash the lower half of her body, cleaning her of any traces of blood. It wasn't something she needed reminding of, she was going to remember this for the rest of her life.<p>

Nick inwardly sighed and helped Sara stand up in the tub, averting his eyes for her but still keeping her steady.

"Stay here, Honey," Nick quickly left in search for her pyjama bottoms and her tank top that was lying on the bed. With those in his arms, he went to her chest of drawers and opened each one looking for some suitable underwear for her to wear. He wasn't paying attention to what he was looking at. It was his attempt of not invading her private life any more than he had to. He saw a simple pair of grey girl boxers and pulled them out where he then moved to another drawer and took a white bra out.

He sighed when he realised she'd still be bleeding for a couple of weeks and was thankful when he didn't have to look through another drawer to find her sanitary towels. He took one out of the packet and placed it with the other items of clothing in his hand, making his way back to the bathroom but shielding his eyes once again.

"Sar', I got these for you, I'm sorry if they're the wrong ones or…y'know," He placed the items on the toilet seat and held her hand, helping her out of the bathtub and handing her a towel he picked up from the back of the bathroom door. She smiled and climbed out of the bathtub. It was clear she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Nick, you don't have to…" she blushed, "You don't have to cover your eyes you've seen me before…" She smiled at him until she realised why he didn't want to see her, "Then again, after these few months, I look like hell a—"

He looked into her eyes, "Sar', you are the most beautiful person I have ever seen. I was just respecting your privacy, that's all," She nodded and smiled.

"I'll be outside, okay? Call me if you need me," she nodded again and Nick left to sit on her bed.


	21. Chapter 21

When Sara walked out of the bathroom, Nick turned from where he was sitting on the bed and saw how exhausted she looked but for some reason, she didn't look sad or unhappy she was just…normal. He thought it was a little weird but didn't say anything to her. Knowing Sara, she was just hiding it to stop herself hurting anymore than she had done already. He gave her a sad smile and walked over to her, guiding her into her bed.

"Nick, I'm not a baby…" she winced at the word 'baby' but quickly swallowed the lump in her throat and composed herself, "…I'm perfectly capable."

"I know but you've just had a—" He didn't finish his sentence and he wasn't sure if it was for her sake or his.

"I'm fine, Nick. You can go now," Sara had already turned to face the other way and was curled up under the bed sheets.

"What?"

"I said you can go," Her voice was quiet and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying. She knew pushing Nick away wasn't going to solve anything but she just couldn't face being around someone.

"Sar', I don't want to go, I want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine, Nick! Just go!" She snapped at him and immediately regretted it when she heard him sigh and leave the room. As soon as he left, she cried. She cried because it was typical Sara to push away the one person she needed right now. She began to wonder whether Nick had just the left the room or her apartment. Surely Nick wouldn't leave her…would he? Before she could answer her own question, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Nick had been awake for hours. Well, the truth was he didn't actually remember going to sleep last night. As soon as he left Sara's room last night, he had already made up his mind that he wasn't going to leave her, not like this, anyway. He kept replaying what she went through over and over in his head, wishing he could have taken all the pain away from her. Sadly, life wasn't that easy.<p>

"You're up early." He jumped as he turned and saw Sara standing there, looking at him.

"Uh…yeah," He smiled and stood to move to the kitchen to make her some food, "How're you feeling? Are you still in pain?" He swallowed, he didn't want to bring the subject up but cared more about her wellbeing than if her feelings were hurt a little.

"I'm great," She left it at that and Nick could see straight through her. Turning, he tilted his head to the side and looked at her, studying her body language. He saw her wince as she tried to sit down and failed. He sighed and lightly jogged towards her.

"Sar', let me help," He started to hold her arms, helping her sit down but she shrugged him off, standing and facing him.

"Nick, I have told you, I'm fine," Sara glared at him, almost daring him to help her again to see what she'd do to him if he did. He shook his head in disbelief.

"You're unbelievable," he mumbled, turning to walk to the kitchen again. He swung back around when she spoke again.

"What did you say?" They both knew she had no trouble hearing him the first time but nevertheless, he answered.

"I said that you were unbelievable,"

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

He sighed, "Sar', we have to talk about last night, you can't just pretend it didn't happen otherwise you're never going to heal."

"I'm healing just fine, thanks. It happened, I'm over it," He watched as she swallowed.

"Over what exactly?" He challenged her, wanting her to admit it. If he was looking in on their conversation, he would have told himself that that was a cruel thing to do. Right now, he didn't care. She opened her mouth a couple of times but no words came out. She bit her lip and Nick could see her lower lip trembling a little, "You can't even say the word, Sara…" He walked toward her and reached out to stroke her cheek. He watched as a tear fell but she immediately wiped it.

"I'm fine, Nicky…"

"No, you're not, Sara!"

"What the fuck do you want from me?!" She yelled, "Do you want me to tell you I'm in pain? Do you want me to tell you how much my stomach hurts and it's not just because I had a miscarriage?!" She laughed a laugh that turned Nick's stomach, "That's what's hilarious about this. I didn't even have a miscarriage…I _chose_ to have my child killed! And you, you're acting like I've lost a baby. Nicky, I didn't lose a baby, I fucking killed one!"

Nick stood there in silence. It wasn't like Sara to curse and it sure as hell wasn't like Sara to lay all her feelings out on the table. He could see her pain and not just the physical side of it.

"Sara," he took one of her hands in his own and held it as he spoke, speaking in a quieter voice, "Having an abortion doesn't make you a bad person. It will _never _make you a bad person, you hear me?"

A few more tears rolled down her cheek as she looked up at him through her eyelashes, "Then why do I feel like I'm just as bad, if not worse, than the people we put behind bars every day?" She started sobbing and Nick pulled her into a hug and held her tightly.

"You are not a bad person Sar'," he whispered into her hair, wanting her to believe it. She moved from his grasp and slowly sat down, hissing at the pain she felt. He sat down next to her and pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders so she could lay on his chest with her arm around his waist. The room was silent for a while before Sara spoke again.

"Do you ever want children, Nicky?" She spoke quietly and he knew a few tears were still escaping her eyes.

He chose his words carefully, "Someday, yeah." He felt her nod from where she was laying on his chest.

"I don't. Well, I didn't…" she paused, "I guess people always want what they can't have, right?" She looked up at him.

"But Sar', you can. Listen to me sweetheart," She couldn't help but give him a small smile when he called her 'sweetheart', "You had an abortion because you weren't ready to be a Mother, right?" She nodded, looking at anywhere but him. He turned her head softly so she was facing him again, "When you are ready, you can have a child. You can be a Mother, Sar'."

"And what if I can't?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if I'm not cut out to be a Mother?"

He sighed, looking into her eyes, "There isn't an anger gene, Sar'…" He stroked her cheek, wiping away another tear.

"How did—? You saw the article…" Realisation slowly hit her.

"Yeah, I did and I threw it in the trash," she frowned as he spoke again, "You don't need to be reading that bullshit, Sar'. You're not going to be a crappy mother and you're sure as hell not going to be an angry one."

"What if I am?"

"If you are, I will personally remove the child from you and call the cops because clearly you have an evil twin," She couldn't help but smile at him. Maybe she was being ridiculous after all.

"Sar'?"

"Hmm?"

"Look at me," she complied, feeling slightly exposed under his gaze, "You will make an amazing mother one day. I know you will." She swallowed and her eyes began to fill with tears again, "We'll get through this, Honey, we'll get through this." He began to rub her back, soothing her and trying to calm her down. Although he was happy she was letting her true feelings show, it still broke his heart to see her crying and so lost. He couldn't help himself, "I love you, Sar'," Silence.

"Sar'?" He tilted his head slightly, looking down at her. She was asleep. He sighed at the fact she didn't hear him but decided he should try to get some sleep himself. He rested his head against the back of the sofa and slowly drifted off to sleep, hoping everything would be okay eventually.


	22. Chapter 22

Sara woke up an hour or so later and realised she was still in Nick's arms. From what she could tell from her current position, he was still awake, probably still checking to see if she was okay knowing Nick. She smiled to herself at the thought.

"You're smiling."

Sara nodded and looked up at him, "Do you love me?"

Nick tilted his head a little at the question and wondered what must have been going around in her head to ask such a question. A stupid question at that and yet Nick wasn't sure what to say. He loved her, that much was obvious but was she asking because things were beginning to get too weird between them or was she asking because she loved him, too?

Sara bit her lip at Nick's silence and realised that was all she needed to know. She stood, not waiting for the answer.

"Yes," She spun around and saw Nick walking towards her, slowly, "Yes, Sar'…I love you."

She looked at the floor momentarily and when she looked up again, he was in front of her, giving her a small smile. He watched as she bit her lower lip and wondered if he had given her the wrong reply.

"We slept together," She swallowed, remembering the way she felt when they did. Nick held her hands where they stood facing each other and nodded.

"I don't regret it, Sar'."

"Did you love me then?" She looked at him, "I know you said you did but did you mean it? Like…really mean it? Or—"

"Or was I just trying to get you into bed?" He finished the sentence for her and she gave him a look, "Sar', I don't know who's given you the information that I just sleep with women and leave them but I don't. Even if I did, do you really think I would do that to you?" He watched her swallow and shake her head, "What we did that night was…It meant everything to me. I just regret the way it happened."

"Why?"

"You were sad, hurt…alone. I wanted to take all the pain away and help you but I guess I went about it the wrong way. To anyone else, that night would seem like it was just sex but to me…" He trailed off, seeing her sad expression and having a feeling that his heart was about to be broken.

"Nick—"

"Just forget I said anythin'. All I want right now is for you to be okay, nothin' else matters," He let go of her hands and moved to the fridge, looking for something to eat before she could say anything else.

Sara watched him and tried to think of anything else apart from him to stop the tears from forming in her eyes. She hated herself for not being ready to commit and even though she knew he probably understood, it didn't make her feel any less guilty.

"I think we should order some food. You don't have any in."

"It's fine, you should go home."

"I want to look after you, Sar'. You shouldn't be alone right now."

"No, Nick, you don't _want_ me to be alone right now; there's a difference," She sighed when she saw his face drop, "I don't mean it like that. I'm fine, okay? I promise you, I'm okay, Nicky."

He nodded sadly, "If you need anything, I'll be at home." She opened her mouth to speak but he was already out the door.

* * *

><p>"What're you doing here?" Warrick looked up at Nick as he walked into the break room and had to stop himself from commenting on Nick's appearance. He looked like he hadn't slept for days which Warrick assumed was because he was comforting Sara and had been too worried about her to think about himself and what his body needed.<p>

"I'm workin'," Warrick rolled his eyes at Nick's 'duh' answer.

"Is Sara okay?"

Nick sighed, "She's fine. At least, that's what she keeps tellin' me."

Warrick sensed that now wasn't the time to talk about Sara and was somewhat thankful when Grissom walked into the room. He greeted Warrick but then turned to Nick, who was pouring out coffee for the three of them, not noticing that Warrick already had one in his hand.

"You're not supposed to be working today, Nick. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. I'm fine. Sara's fine. It's all fine, okay?"

Grissom looked at Warrick and Warrick shook his head slowly, telling Grissom with his eyes to leave the subject alone.

"Warrick, I have a case for yo—"

"What about me?"

"I don't have anything else right now, Nick."

Nick raised an eyebrow, "So, I can't work with 'Rick now?"

Grissom sighed, "I don't want you working this case."

Nick ignored the coffee he had poured and focused all his attention on Grissom, "Why?" Grissom stayed silent, trying to form the appropriate words.

"Well?"

"Look, Nick why don't I take the scene and you can help me with the evidence when I get back?" Warrick offered.

"I'm not a lab rat, 'Rick. Now tell me why I can't work this case, Griss'," Nick was becoming agitated, not that it took a lot these days.

Grissom sighed for the second time, "A woman in her late twenties states she was raped in a hotel room. She believes it was her boyfriend." Nick was silent so Grissom carried on speaking, "Given the current events of the past few months I—"

"I want this case, Grissom," Nick's voice was firm, already leaving no room for argument.

"You know I can't do that, Nick."

"And why the hell not?"

"Look, Nick if you don't watch your tone I'll—"

Nick gave him a look, "You'll what? Fire me? Because right now, I don't give a crap what you do!"

Warrick interjected, "Nick calm down."

He looked at Warrick, "Don't tell me to calm down, 'Rick. I'm fed up with Grissom dictating every little piece of shit that goes on around here!"

Grissom looked at Nick in disbelief, "I am your supervisor, Nick. It's my job to—"

"Well, screw your fucking job!" He looked at Grissom, "I quit!"

Warrick watched as Nick left the room and was already running to catch up with him, forgetting that Grissom had just given him a case to work.

"Nick!"

Nick ignored Warrick's calls and carried on walking down the hall, ignoring the stares of the various employees at the lab. Warrick sighed and picked up the pace, Nick was pretty fast when he was angry. He called him again but was rewarded with complete silence like before.

Both men rounded the corner to the locker room and Warrick ran in front of him, looking at Nick and standing in front of his locker before Nick could open it.

"Move, 'Rick."

"Stop, okay? Let's just talk and—"

"I don't wanna talk, I wanna get the hell outta here and go home,"

Warrick sighed, "You're angry, I understand but—"

"You understand? You _understand?_" Nick laughed, "You don't understand anythin', 'Rick. Now move bef—"

"Before what?" Warrick challenged, watching Nick's angry expression, "Before you hit me? Go on then, hit me."

"What?"

"Hit me," Nick's anger was rising by the second, "Do it. Will it make you feel better?" At that, he pushed Nick's chest, forcing the man to stumble backwards a little. He repeated the action again, this time pushing a little harder, "Come on, hit me. Wouldn't be the first time."

"'Rick…" Nick warned.

"Come on, I won't even fight back," He pushed Nick harder, causing him to stumble backwards and lose his footing, landing with a thud on the floor behind him, "Get up and hit me! Wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Warrick laughed deliberately which ticked Nick off even more. Nick quickly got up, pushing Warrick against his locker, wiping the smile off his face and raising his fist to punch him.

"_Nicky, stop!_"

Nick swallowed and watched where Warrick's eyes had travelled to, turning and seeing Sara standing there at the entrance to the locker room, looking both scared and hurt. Nick lowered his hand and let go of Warrick immediately trying to recover what little respect she still had for him. Warrick straightened his shirt and noticed how Nick became a totally different person since Sara had entered the room.

"Sara…"

She ignored Nick and looked at Warrick, "Are you okay?"

Warrick nodded and smiled, "You have awesome timing, 'Frisco."

Sara couldn't help but grin, "You're welcome…_Vegas_."

Warrick smiled and turned to Nick, who was still standing there, not believing that Sara was here and had just witnessed him almost hitting his best friend for the second time. It was out of character and Nick wasn't the only one to notice it.

"Excuse me," Warrick and Sara watched as Nick left the room quickly. Sara was about to go after him when Warrick placed a hand on her arm.

"Let him cool down, Sara."

Sara shook her head, "I can't, Warrick." She swallowed, "He—He's scaring me. I need to know if he's okay."

Warrick nodded, "Let me go. You need to go home and get some sleep, you look like hell."

Sara laughed at his bluntness, "You're never gonna get the ladies with that language, Warrick."

Warrick grinned, "Seriously, Sara. I'll make sure he's okay but please just for once, take care of yourself before him."

Sara swallowed and nodded slowly, "Just…take care of him."

"Take care of yourself, Sara."


	23. Chapter 23

Warrick left in search of Nick and already guessed where he would be; the roof. He had once found Nick there after he'd been stalked by Nigel Crane. When he had asked him, Nick had told him that it was his 'thinking place' and somewhat assumed Nick liked the quiet. Running up the staircase to the roof, he opened the door out into the open and found Nick sitting on the floor with his back against the vent of the roof. He seemed to be staring at his hands and clearly in mid thought.

Nick sensed he wasn't alone and knew that Warrick was the only person who knew he came up here. He broke the silence as Warrick closed the door to the roof behind him and joined Nick where he was sitting.

"She was going to leave, 'Rick," He was clearly upset, "She wasn't even gonna say goodbye."

"What're you talking about?"

Nick looked at him, "You didn't see her bags when you went over there last?" Warrick shook his head, "Well, I did. She was just gonna leave without a damn word!" Nick didn't shout, it was more of an angry whisper than anything. He looked at his hands again, "I don't mean a damn thing to her. Not a damn thing."

"That's not true," When Nick gave him a look, he spoke again, "She's wearing your ring, y'know."

"My ring?"

"You haven't noticed?" Nick shook his head, still trying to work out which ring Warrick was talking about. Warrick looked at Nick's confused face and clarified, "Your college ring."

"Oh…yeah," He smiled, remembering when he gave it to her, "I don't know if she mentioned it but her and I went on a date once."

Warrick nodded, "Yeah, she did briefly."

"Did she say what happened?"

Warrick shook his head, "Nah."

"Well, she probably thinks I asked her out because I felt sorry for her but it wasn't that. I just wanted to make her smile, if just for one night, a _real _smile. I wanted her to know she was loved…" He sighed.

"Where'd you take her?"

Nick paused for a second, "A uh…a prom…"

Warrick couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the thought, "I bet she loved you for that…"

Nick scoffed, "Yeah, she wasn't too happy. She'd told me ages ago about how she wasn't allowed to go to her prom because her Mom wouldn't let her go. She never said why but I didn't ask. Anyway, she went with it and we talked, danced, laughed and she joked about how we were at the part of the date where the guy gives the girl his college ring to symbolise they're a couple and—"

"And you did…"

Nick nodded, "I handed it to her as a joke but when she took it…Well, I didn't ask for it back. I didn't want it back."

"Then what happened?"

Nick smiled again, sheepishly, "We won prom king and queen…"

Warrick laughed, "Then…?"

"I know what you're waiting for but it didn't happen. I drove her home and we didn't say anymore about it. She thanked me for a good time but then acted like it never happened."

"You know how Sara is, Nick. She gets scared and avoids the issue; she can't help it."

Nick looked at him, "So why did she sleep with me the other night?"

Warrick looked at Nick, raising an eyebrow, "D'you mean sleep or—"

Nick was blunt, "We had sex, Warrick."

Warrick sat there with his mouth agape. Although he'd noticed the chemistry between the two CSIs, he never thought that either of them would act upon it, especially after Sara found out she was pregnant. He now understood why Nick was confused about everything and felt as though Sara didn't care for him, even though Warrick knew she did.

"She loves you, Nick."

"No. No she doesn't. That much is clear," He sighed, "God I've been so stupid." He stood and began pacing instead, "I thought that she would keep the baby and somehow we could…" Nick paused and Warrick already sensed what he was about to say. He sighed again, stopping to turn and look at Warrick, "I thought we could maybe raise the child together." There, he'd said it. He realised how dumb it sounded out loud but he couldn't help how he felt.

"That's why you're angry," Warrick realised and looked up at him, feeling bad for his friend. He stood and stopped Nick from pacing by placing a hand on his shoulder, "Nick, she didn't do this to hurt you she did this because it was hurting her."

"Why didn't you stop her, Warrick? Why didn't—"

"Hey!" Warrick took a step back, "I get you're looking for someone to blame but I'm not about to tell anyone whether they should have a child or not, okay? I told her we'd all be there for her but she told me she couldn't cope alone—"

"But she wouldn't have been alone!" Nick turned away from Warrick, trying to control his anger.

Sighing, Warrick watched him, "Maybe not but she _felt_ alone, Nick. You don't understand how scared she was. She called me and told me to take her to the hospital, I figured there was something wrong so I didn't ask any questions. When she came out of the room, she looked like she'd been crying and that's when I told her that I was sorry that she'd lost the baby." At that, Nick turned.

Warrick looked at him, "What? You think she told me before you?" Nick looked at the ground, Warrick could always see right through him, "No, she didn't. I found out when we got out of the car and began walking to the break room. She told me not to tell anyone yet because she wanted you, Nick, _you_ to be the first to find out." Warrick pointed at Nick to emphasise his point.

Nick ran a hand through his short hair and sighed, realising how selfish he was being. He was too wrapped up in his own 'happily ever after' that he'd forgotten about Sara's.

"I hate him, 'Rick," Nick gritted his teeth to stop himself from crying, "I hate him so fucking much I would love nothin' more than to—"

"I know, Nick, I know," He placed a hand on Nick's shoulder, "But all you're doing by being this angry is hurting yourself and her. Now, if you wanna punch me, go ahead but if you think it's going to end the pain you're feeling…" He let the sentence trail off at Nick's nodding.

"I'm sorry. I just…I…" Nick allowed the tears to fall and even though Warrick was surprised, he pulled him into a quick hug before looking at him.

"Hey, don't go soft on me, man."

Nick laughed and wiped his eyes, "I need to go and find Sara."

"Nuh-uh, you need to find Grissom and tell him you're sorry. You got some ass kissing to do, Nick."

Nick nodded, regretting the way he acted before, "I know. Will you go and check on her?"

Warrick nodded but then remembered the case he was supposed to be on, "Wait, I have to work that case, Nick."

"No, no you don't. I want to," When Warrick gave him a look, he silenced what he was about to say with a gesture of his hand, "I can do it. I won't make it personal, I swear."

Warrick sighed and nodded, "Okay but remember what I said. Anger doesn't cure pain, Nick, it reinforces it."

Nick nodded, "Thanks and I really am sorry for what I did."

"Pshhh, you punch like a girl anyways, dude."


	24. Chapter 24

After Warrick's talk with Nick, he called Sara to let her know he was on his way to her apartment. Of course, she protested but Warrick knew better than to listen to her telling him she was fine and that everything was okay. He pulled up outside her apartment, exited his car, locked it and walked up the stairs to her door. He lifted his hand to knock on the door but it opened before he had a chance to.

"I saw you pull up," Sara answered his unspoken question, moving to the side and allowing him to step into her apartment. Warrick smiled and took his place on the sofa, watching her closely. They were silent for a moment before he spoke.

"Nick's okay."

Even though she was quiet, he could tell that right now, Nick was all she cared about. She looked worried and upset about what she witnessed earlier but nodded slowly, hoping that Warrick wasn't just sugar coating the situation for her.

"D'you promise?" She sat opposite him but didn't take her eyes off his face, checking for any signs he was lying to her.

Warrick sighed, "I promise, Sara. He's just worried about you. You're both as bad as each other really…"

She couldn't help but smile at that. He was right.

"Have you seen a doctor?" He didn't want to ask but he had to. She shook her head slowly and looked at the coffee table opposite her, distracting herself from the thoughts entering her head. Warrick didn't press the matter. Apart from looking tired, she looked okay. He was more worried about her mental state.

"Stop staring at me."

Warrick averted his eyes immediately, "What?"

"You're staring at me," She sighed, "I'm tired of people staring at me, Warrick…"

"I'm sorry. I'm just—"

"Worried, I know," He nodded, "Do you think I'm a bad person?" She spoke quietly and Warrick hated how broken she sounded.

"No, of course not!" He scooted closer to her on the couch, taking her hand, "Sara, look at me." When she complied, he spoke softly, "You are _not_ a bad person for having an—"

"Don't," Her voice cracked a little but she recovered fast, "Don't say it. Please…"

"Sara, you can't avoid talking about it. It's gonna end up killing you inside."

"I don't know what to do, Warrick. I'm so…_angry_," She almost spat the last word out, proving to Warrick just how angry she was. She stood, letting go of his hands and looking out of the window at Warrick's car, "Nick's angry, too." She turned, "I did that, Warrick. I made him angry." She turned to face the window again, hiding her falling tears. She heard Warrick sigh and then felt him turn her around and pull her into a hug, holding her tightly.

"Shhh, he's not angry with you, Sara. If anything, I think he's angry with himself," he whispered softly into her ear, trying to calm her. For a moment she stood there, clinging onto him and letting her emotions get the better of her. She cried for what felt like eternity before she looked up at him, her eyes looking even more tired than before.

"I need to get away…"

Warrick nodded, "You should. I'm sure you have plenty of vacation time saved up, you could—"

"No, Warrick. I mean…" She swallowed, not being able to finish the sentence.

Warrick frowned until he realised what she meant, "You're leaving…" He watched her bite her lip and nod slowly, "Sara, you can't leave, Nick will—"

"He will be better off without me. You have to keep this to yourself. I need to call DB before anyone else knows."

Warrick looked at her, "You can't expect me to keep something like this from Nick. Please, Sara, he needs to know."

"No. Not yet. I will tell him once I've told DB. Please, Warrick," She pleaded with her eyes, "I'm begging you."

He sighed and reluctantly nodded, "Okay. I won't say a word if you go into your room right now and try to get some sleep."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

He shook his head, laughing, "Nice try. I'm not goin' anywhere, Sara."

She rolled her eyes but gave him a small smile, "Of course you're not."


End file.
